Crest Helmet

Ejagham skin-covered headdresses are portraits of ancestors. Famous men were almost all heroic warriors, so they are shown with aggressively bared teeth. The dark face represents a man; the yellow-brown face a woman. The spiral horns exaggerate a women’s hairstyle. The dark marks at the temples represent tattoos cut into the skin: the circles on the female head stand for love; the rectangles on the male head signify high rank. Crest helmets are danced at serious occasions and at funerals by men, who are completely covered by a long gown from the top of the head to the ankles.