Mother with child (Mask)

This portrayal of a “mother with child”, carved out of wood, was given to the museum in 1906 by the explorer Leo Frobenius. The arms of the mother figure and the body of the child are formed out of cloth. Cowry shells and glass beads were used to represent fingernails and jewellery. Regrettably, Frobenius did not provide exact information about the use of the figure. Up to now it has been presumed that it either served as a crest mask in initiation ceremonies or was employed in funeral rites.