Afikpo Calabash Dance Mask From Nigeria

Very original gourd mask typical of the AFIKPO of Nigeria Not common because quite fragile height 29cm Cord around the edge for attachment small paint gaps in places that I point out so as not to be blamed The IGBOs include a certain number of subgroups , and the AFIKPO, who live in the far east of IGBO country, belong to one of them. AFIKPO masks display influences from various neighboring non-IGBO groups, but also have unique characteristics of their own. A particularly unusual item is the gourd mask, known as MBUBU. Groups of these masks performed in public during masquerades which announced the end of the long initiation of the eldest sons into a closed society (which took place once every 6 or 7 years). Masks also played a role in the ritual by which a person received the highest AFIKPO title. These functions, combined with the unusual material and abstract shape, gave the MBUBU great prestige. The stem of the hollowed out gourd points forward. The face consists of a long vertical slit and 6 short horizontal slits and a cavity for the mouth. Everything is colored in red, blue, yellow and white pigment, well protected and free shipping for the European Union 150 €uros for International