Crest Helmet

Skin-covered crest masks, made of fresh antelope hide stretched and shrunk over a carved wooden sculpture, were used by people of the Cross River delta region, near the city of Calabar in Nigeria, along the border with Cameroon. Traditional educational and political responsibilities were taught and enforced by societies of elders and associations of young men and women. Laced onto a wicker cap, crest helmets are danced at both festive and serious masquerades, such as initiations and funerals, by men concealed under a long gown from the top of the head to the ankles.Ejagham masks can have one, two, or occasionally three faces. These represent portraits of ancestors, both men and women. This headdress shows two heads, a man and a woman, back to back. The dark brown face represents a man; the yellow-brown face on the opposite side is a woman. Famous men were almost all heroic warriors, so the man is shown with aggressively bared teeth. The woman may represent his equally strong and supportive wife. The spiral "horns" are the braids of an elaborate woman's hairstyle that was actually worn during the coming-out festivities after a group of girls completed their seclusion for initiation and education. The dark marks at the temples represent tattoos cut into the skin. They are nsibidi symbols, part of the ancient writing system of the Ejagham that was taught by secret societies like the men's Ngbe and the women's Ekpa. The rectangles on the man's head signify high rank, while the concentric circles on the woman's head symbolize love.