Stage I
“We [Eboes] are…a nation of dancers, musicians, poets…”

Or, Knowing the World through/as Masquerade

We are a nation of dancers, musicians, and poets. Thus every great event, such as a triumphant return from battle, or other cause of public rejoicing, is celebrated in public dances, which are accompanied with songs and music….We have many musical instruments, particularly drums of different kinds…. Though we had no places of worship, we had priests and magicians, or wise men….held in reverence by the people. They calculated our time, and foretold events, as their name imported, for we called them Ah-affoe-way-cah, which signifies calculators, or yearly men, our year being called Ah-affoe…. These magicians were also our doctors or physicians…They had…some extraordinary method of discovering jealousy, theft, and poisoning; the success of which no doubt they derived from their unbounded influence over the credulity and superstition of the people.
Olaudah Equiano/Gustavus Vassa

Stage I displays examples—mostly from western Africa—of the basic representations of the play-element or masquerade (often viewed as frenzied or ritualized gestures and referenced as “magic”) that has from the beginning to this day marked human (if not, as some scientists try to teach us, all sentient beings’) social formation and ongoing sociality. The literal colorful mask of human beings makes the dramatic point—that complex social life entails masking, the cult of masking, ritual masquerade for the sake of basic communication and structuring of and orientation to the world. This basic yet complex phenomenon is universal; it is found in real or contemporary time and throughout history. But it is not a matter of reflecting the separate “play-element” in culture; rather, it suggests culture as play. This play, as we follow the lead of the “interesting” narrative written by late eighteenth century “stranger” finding himself among white-fleshed peoples, is refracted into different forms of psycho-politics reflecting different geographical and psychic spaces and times. Thus, the ensuing stages...

Small delicately carved face masks with pert noses and childlike 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. Many of these face masks are cut across the mouth allowing the wearer to articulate the jaw as the spirit speaks through him. The open mouth reveals narrow teeth, usually made of cane.

African Masks

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Mask (Elu)

Small delicately carved face masks with pert noses and childlike 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. Many of these face masks are cut across the mouth allowing the wearer to articulate the jaw as the spirit speaks through him. The open mouth reveals narrow teeth, usually made of cane.

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Igbo masks are made in many styles, and their distribution does not necessarily coincide with a matching set of beliefs concerning mask spirits. For example, the Okorosia masquerades of south-central Igboland share overall style features with the northern Igbo masks of the Nri-Awka area, such as the white-faced "Maiden-Spirit Mask" Agbogho mmuo but the belief in Okorosia water spirits is borrowed from the Niger Delta to the south where water spirits abound.

Face Mask (Okorisa Nma)

Igbo masks are made in many styles, and their distribution does not necessarily coincide with a matching set of beliefs concerning mask spirits. For example, the Okorosia masquerades of south-central Igboland share overall style features with the northern Igbo masks of the Nri-Awka area, such as the white-faced "Maiden-Spirit Mask" Agbogho mmuo but the belief in Okorosia water spirits is borrowed from the Niger Delta to the south where water spirits abound.

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A mask made of wood, fiber, and pigment, portraying Mma ji.

Face Mask (Mma ji)

A mask made of wood, fiber, and pigment, portraying Mma ji.

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This is a type of headcrest mask found amongst the southern Ika, a western Igbo peoples residing on the left bank of the Niger River (Kwale region) and Isoko peoples residing further to the south. G.I. Jones photographed such masks in the 1930s. In performance they are embellished with feathers inserted into holes along the back of the figure and across the feline figure at the top of the mask. Jones documented their performance in the Ogonya Play in Ogume village, southern Ika. Cole and Aniakor identify these as Ekeleke masks; however, Peek questions this attribution as for the Isoko, Ekeleke refers to masks performed with stilts, which are not worn in the performance photographed by Jones.

Ekele Masquerade Headcrest

This is a type of headcrest mask found amongst the southern Ika, a western Igbo peoples residing on the left bank of the Niger River (Kwale region) and Isoko peoples residing further to the south. G.I. Jones photographed such masks in the 1930s. In performance they are embellished with feathers inserted into holes along the back of the figure and across the feline figure at the top of the mask. Jones documented their performance in the Ogonya Play in Ogume village, southern Ika. Cole and Aniakor identify these as Ekeleke masks; however, Peek questions this attribution as for the Isoko, Ekeleke refers to masks performed with stilts, which are not worn in the performance photographed by Jones.

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A headdress carved from wood and decorated with animal hair, bamboo, iron, and pigment.

Egungun (?) Headdress (Igboogi) of a Monkey (Akato) (?)

A headdress carved from wood and decorated with animal hair, bamboo, iron, and pigment.

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Mask

Through bold color and aggressive imagery, predatory animal references, horns, and strange tubular eyes this mask is a visually intimidating presence that harnesses the power of spirits from the wilderness as instruments of proprietary control in the realm of the town or village. Their visual affect was only heightened during performance. This Wé mask presents a bewildering accumulation of animal references: a fringe of aluminum-silver pseudo-leopard teeth, wild boar tusks, and pointed ears. With its bold color and bullet casings, this prototypical nature spirit mask is wild and menacing, making it a powerful judge during legal disputes and a great motivator of men preparing for battle.

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This mask, called Sowo (pl. Sowei) or Bondo, is a type commissioned and worn by female members of the Gola, Temne, and Mende Sande societies in Sierra Leone and Liberia. The Sande society is responsible for the instruction of young girls into adulthood. This process occurs in the forest under the guidance of senior Sande members and Sowo or Bondo nature spirits. Once they have learned basic female values and trained for marriage, domestic life, and religious, economic, and political pursuits, the girls are integrated back into the village as women. On this festive occasion they are accompanied by Sowei masqueraders. Although owned by women, Sande masks are carved by male artists who work in dialogue with their personal neme spirit, as well as the individual Sowo spirit that will inhabit the mask during masquerade performances. While carving is not always a professionalized specialty, artists are considered exceptional people and are called yun go gwa, "a dreamer". A dreamer's neme spirit bestows gifts of talent and greatness, though often at a price. An artist demonstrates his relationship with the supernatural by making visible in his art that which he has dreamed. When a Sande society member commissions a mask, she reveals to the artist the name of the individual Sande spirit to inhabit it. The artist then secludes himself in the forest, the realm of Sande spirits, to visualize through dreams the personality of the spirit that will inhabit the mask. The mask must be refined and aesthetically pleasing, or the spirit will not enter it. Small facial features, rings round the neck, a broad forehead, beautiful hairstyles, and a dark shiny surface are the aesthetic ideals favored by Sande spirits. Each mask also makes visible the halei, (powerful medicine of Sowo spirits) through carved horns and amulets. Although each mask features female imagery, such as the incised marks below the eyes refered to as "tears", the spirit emodied in the mask is a male one, coming to claim the women. Once the mask is carved it is consecrated by its owner with applications of medicinal substances (halei) and the addition of real amulets. The mask is then ready to manifest a spirit during masquerade performances when it is worn by its owner.

Helmet Mask (Sowei)

This mask, called Sowo (pl. Sowei) or Bondo, is a type commissioned and worn by female members of the Gola, Temne, and Mende Sande societies in Sierra Leone and Liberia. The Sande society is responsible for the instruction of young girls into adulthood. This process occurs in the forest under the guidance of senior Sande members and Sowo or Bondo nature spirits. Once they have learned basic female values and trained for marriage, domestic life, and religious, economic, and political pursuits, the girls are integrated back into the village as women. On this festive occasion they are accompanied by Sowei masqueraders. Although owned by women, Sande masks are carved by male artists who work in dialogue with their personal neme spirit, as well as the individual Sowo spirit that will inhabit the mask during masquerade performances. While carving is not always a professionalized specialty, artists are considered exceptional people and are called yun go gwa, "a dreamer". A dreamer's neme spirit bestows gifts of talent and greatness, though often at a price. An artist demonstrates his relationship with the supernatural by making visible in his art that which he has dreamed. When a Sande society member commissions a mask, she reveals to the artist the name of the individual Sande spirit to inhabit it. The artist then secludes himself in the forest, the realm of Sande spirits, to visualize through dreams the personality of the spirit that will inhabit the mask. The mask must be refined and aesthetically pleasing, or the spirit will not enter it. Small facial features, rings round the neck, a broad forehead, beautiful hairstyles, and a dark shiny surface are the aesthetic ideals favored by Sande spirits. Each mask also makes visible the halei, (powerful medicine of Sowo spirits) through carved horns and amulets. Although each mask features female imagery, such as the incised marks below the eyes refered to as "tears", the spirit emodied in the mask is a male one, coming to claim the women. Once the mask is carved it is consecrated by its owner with applications of medicinal substances (halei) and the addition of real amulets. The mask is then ready to manifest a spirit during masquerade performances when it is worn by its owner.

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Masks from the Cameroon Grassfields were owned by either the men's regulatory society (Kwifoyn) that shared power with the king (Fon), or by lineage groups authorized by the Kwifoyn to perform. Although all masked dancers in the Grassfields are male, they may represent either male or female characters. This mask represents Ngoin, the royal wife and a symbol of womanhood. The mask can be identified by the royal headdress that has an almond or oval-shaped protruberance at the top and a wavy or zigzag hairline. Ngoin dances with short, restrained steps to mark her royal presence.

Female Helmet Crest Mask, Ngoin

Masks from the Cameroon Grassfields were owned by either the men's regulatory society (Kwifoyn) that shared power with the king (Fon), or by lineage groups authorized by the Kwifoyn to perform. Although all masked dancers in the Grassfields are male, they may represent either male or female characters. This mask represents Ngoin, the royal wife and a symbol of womanhood. The mask can be identified by the royal headdress that has an almond or oval-shaped protruberance at the top and a wavy or zigzag hairline. Ngoin dances with short, restrained steps to mark her royal presence.

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The Dogon migrated to present-day Mali beginning in the fifteenth century, settling along the Bandiagara escarpment. The harsh, remote terrain of central Mali protected the Dogon and shaped their culture. The Kanaga mask honors the dead and connects them to the living, in much the same way as the long cliff on which they live connects the earth and sky, and the vertical strip of the mask connects the two horizontal bands. Young men wear the Kanaga mask during the Dama ceremony, a funeral festival that occurs every twelve years in which the masks lead those who died during the cycle to the afterlife. The masks are painted with white, black, and often washer's blue, a chalky material traditionally used to whiten clothes in the laundry. A brightly colored raffia mane surrounds the face and complements the raffia bands along the arms and feet of the dancer. The dancer also wears a kilt and suspenders. The masquerader secures the mask by biting down on a bit, though there is netting in the back to keep it upright. Though the wood is not heavy, his dance includes whipping his body around and scraping the tip of the mask to the earth, making it a dynamic and audible procession.

Kanaga Mask

The Dogon migrated to present-day Mali beginning in the fifteenth century, settling along the Bandiagara escarpment. The harsh, remote terrain of central Mali protected the Dogon and shaped their culture. The Kanaga mask honors the dead and connects them to the living, in much the same way as the long cliff on which they live connects the earth and sky, and the vertical strip of the mask connects the two horizontal bands. Young men wear the Kanaga mask during the Dama ceremony, a funeral festival that occurs every twelve years in which the masks lead those who died during the cycle to the afterlife. The masks are painted with white, black, and often washer's blue, a chalky material traditionally used to whiten clothes in the laundry. A brightly colored raffia mane surrounds the face and complements the raffia bands along the arms and feet of the dancer. The dancer also wears a kilt and suspenders. The masquerader secures the mask by biting down on a bit, though there is netting in the back to keep it upright. Though the wood is not heavy, his dance includes whipping his body around and scraping the tip of the mask to the earth, making it a dynamic and audible procession.

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