Mask Headdress

Delicately carved masks, with pert noses and child-like facial features representing male and female spirits (elu), appear in village masquerades among Ogoni peoples living between the Niger Delta and Cross Rivers of southern Nigeria. They are danced by members of the young men's age grade society. This mask, featuring a seated female figure, is worn atop the masker's head. The figure wears an elaborate hairstyle that mimics the curving horns of the antelope, an animal depicted in other Ogoni masks. The figure may represent an ancestor (ka-elu). With her right hand, the hand from which sacrifices are offered, this ka-elu holds a cup. The other hand holds an umbrella, a popular Ogoni motif. The prestigious modern elements of chair, cup, and umbrella are bestowed upon spirits in the hopes that they will reciprocate by blessing a community with good fortune.