Helmet Mask (Asufu)

The Izzi Igbo, who traditionally lived in the northeastern part of Igboland, annually performed Okperegede, a multiple-character masquerade "play". Masked characters ranged from the amusing or satirical to the stately and powerful. The last and most potent character to perform would be Asufu, the four-faced helmet mask displayed here. Asufu was a fierce warrior leader who protected the Izzi Igbo during the 19th-century inter-group wars against other northeastern Igbo peoples. Having multiple faces allowed Asufu to see in all directions to protect his people from enemies, while the configuration of alternating black and white faces conveyed his role as a mediator between the living and dead. The Okperegede masquerade is "owned" by a zoomorphic slit drum also called Okperegede, the oldest and most powerful drum in the region. The drum governs the masking spectacle, directs its action, and summons the masks to perform before it. In former times, the drum was used to relay messages about war, assemble warriors, or send villagers into hiding.