- 37
Igala Mask, Nigeria
Description
- wood
- Height: 19 3/4 in (50 cm)
Provenance
Karl-Ferdinand Schaedler, Munich, acquired from the above
Exhibited
Literature
Karl-Ferdinand Schaedler, Encyclopedia of African Art and Culture, Munich, 2009, p. 291
Catalogue Note
Masquerades are central to Igala ritual, and the masks and costumes employed are the most important Igala art forms. The present mask is for the Igala Agbanabo royal masquerade. Boston (op. cit.: 171) continues: "The second royal masquerade in order of seniority is Agbanabo, whose headdress incorporates a long snout. It is said of this figure that he once came out for a royal festival carrying two spears (okwo). He stood on the small earth mound outside his house and then noticed one of the Ata's [King] wives, a woman called Ebi, who was standing nearby and looking at him. Agbanabo ran toward her, but she still stood there, unafraid. Agbanabo went back to his earth mound and stood there, thinking. The woman stood unmoved and chewed some tobacco. Agbanabo's followers chanted his praise names, until the masquerade suddenly rushed at the woman and stabbed her through the body with his spears so that she fell dead. When the Ata heard about this, he at first ruled that Agbanabo should never appear again, but his people pleaded for the masquerade. Finally, it was decided that the masquerade could continue, but with Agbanabo carrying two sticks in place of the two spears."
An Igala Agbanabo mask closely related to the present example was photographed being danced in situ in 1949 by Kenneth Murray (op. cit.: 171, reproduced from Murray 1949: 88).