Nigerian Face Masks

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Nigerian Face Masks

Face masks are used to masquerade and disguise the identity of the people who wear them. They are used by numerous traditional African communities during different social occasions. They are used during events such as marriage ceremonies, funerals, religious festivals and other social events within the community. They are normally a part of a costume used especially for traditional music and dances.

Face masks are different and have many meanings depending on the community and event for which they are worn. Different communities have their own designs for maps depending on what they want to show and what has triggered it. This is the reason for the huge diversity in the kinds of masks from the community. Igbo and Ogoni people are part of the indigenous communities of the Nigeria.

The Igbo people of Nigeria are from South Eastern Nigeria also known as Igboland. They are among the largest groups in Nigeria. They practice farming as their major economic activity. They also fish and hunt. Their leadership is vested in the village councils, elders and men with titles. This are the ones who are the most prominent in the village and hence lead most of the festivities. The Igbo people are very creative as is shown by the way they pass on stories which tell how things happened and taught morals. They also made sculptures which have been displayed in museums around the world. Some statues had spiritual use while others act as status symbols for the owners. They are also known for their great architectural skills, mbari architecture.

Among the Igbo, carving is viewed as the work of men while women made baskets and did pottery (Aniakor & Cole, 1984). The Igbo people have set standards and rules on how sculptures are made with most of them having similar characteristics. They also made and decorated wooden items such as stool and doors. Items are made from wood and other natural materials. Pigment dyes and kaolin were used to decorate them. Other tribes that are involved in making masks are Ibibio, Yoruba and Anang.

As there are many Igbo villages, the types of masks differ among them and the purpose and ceremonies for which they are used are also different. It is often hard to distinguish between the mask from different areas of the Igboland. The difference in masks is because each village have their own experiences and history that influences their art work. The Igbo have a wide range of artwork and cultural practices. They also have thousands of masks that were created to look like spirits. Most of the masks are carved from wood and are painted white with chalk and kaolin. Examples of Igbo masks are Agbogho Mmuo, the Acali mask, the elephant mask and the Eze Nwanyi mask. Igbo masks were made in an attempt to tempt fate.

According to Njoku & Eberegbulam, these masks are used during entertainment, festivals, rites of passage, burials and sacred rituals. The masks were used to depict and represent different things. Some masks were worn only during specific events within the community but most were used for all events. Of the two most important mask types among the Igbo- those idealizing the qualities of young women, and those representing the powers of men (Aniakor & Cole, 1984). Common characteristics of the Igbo masks are small well placed features with tattoos and they are emphasized with pigments especially white on the face to depict the color of the spirit. The Igbo people believe in reincarnation after death and hence most of their masks depict their belief in spirits.

The Agbogho Mmuo or the maiden mask represents the spirit dead maidens. It is a symbol of beauty. According to Aniakor & Cole, the maiden mask artists favored red, orange, yellow and black pigments to highlight their carving and have three crests dramatically pairing positive and negative space. It depicts the ideal qualities of a young woman as desired by a young man. The maiden mask has crested hairstyle considered by the community as a sign of royalty and wealth to symbolize the wealth brought to her family when her bride price is paid during marriage (Aniakor & Cole, 1984).

They are used during agricultural ceremonies to invoke fertility in farm and bountiful harvests in the area. Dances and plays are done for entertainment. The Agbogho Mmuo is normally worn by men during dance. The mask can also be worn during the burials of prominent people within the society to invoke the spirits to accompany them as they are buried.

Another Igbo mask is the Acali mask is associated with the deity and respected members of the egbele secret society in Afikpo. It is made of wood and plant fibres. Pigment is used to bring out the features. Among the Igbo people from Afikpo, when one puts on the acali mask, they are transferred into a spirit. According to Ottenberg, the mask is worn during the dry season festival by the youngest dancers. It is not a very common mask compared to the maiden mask. The Eze Nwanyi mask or the Queen of Women represents a woman who commands the respect of everyone in the village and is a leader. It embodies the ideals of a mature female and is worn in ceremonies conducted to purify villages (Birmingham Museum of Art, 2010).

The Ogoni are among the smaller tribes of Nigeria and are located in Rivers State east of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Their main economic activities is farming and fishing. Ogoni people are also rich in art and folklore including festivals where masks and costumes are used during song and dance (Gearon, 2002). They are used for initiations and ceremonies carried out in the villages. Ogoni masks have characteristic hinged jaws for more control. Masquerades are used for entertainment, for punishment and social control, to honor gods and to express male aggressions (Kpone- Tonwe, 2002). The Ogoni are known for their use of masks in festivals, cultural, religious and political.

The Ogoni have eight types of wood sculpture: small face masks representing women and men used for masquerading, larger more grotesque face masks representing restless spirits, small zoomorphic face masks, large face masks depicting fierce animals, human figurines representing ancestors, headdresses, carved figures, and puppets (Kpone- Tonwe, 2002). According to Kpone- Tonwe, Ogoni rituals concern recognitions of the ancestors, the growing of crops, the rearing of animals, and the significance of water to the region. Examples of Ogoni masks include the Elu face mask, the red Ogoni face mask.

The Elu face mask is used during celebrations, to entertain and at burials of prominent members of the society. It is made out of wood and pigment used to accentuate the features. The red Ogoni mask has a red face with black markings on the cheek. The cheek hinges at the jaw. The Ogoni masks are not as widely known as the Igbo masks. They are used as puppet masks and the hinges on them make it easier to control and entertain people especially children.

There are similarities between the Igbo and Ogoni masks. One is that they are both used in ceremonies of rites of passage, funerals, agricultural festivals among others. The medium used to make the masks in both communities is similar. Wood and sometimes bronze are the main materials used while pigments are used to accentuate the features are used. In both communities, they are worn during song and dance for with costumes. They are also equally talented in carving items out of wood making sculptures and other artwork. They were both used to invoke spirits and pray for their prosperity.

Among the differences between masks from the two communities is that the Ogoni Masks are smaller and have unhinged jaws compared to the Igbo masks which have a more articulated jaw which is useful for control when used as puppets. There are also different in appearance. Masks in Nigeria, especially among the Igbo and Ogoni, were used for many purposes mainly ceremonies. They were used during the dry season to invoke rain and to pray for plenty of food to be harvested. During other ceremonies and festivities, the masks are worn for entertainment and to pass messages to those present. Folklores also play a major role in the transmission of the traditions of the tribe. Each group has their own masking genre and masks names according to the tribe.

The culture of making masks is very important to the Igbo and the Ogoni people as it is a way to make the new generations understand the tradition of the community. They can also sell them as artifacts and gets money from them hence enhancing the economy of the people. The masks have also been instrumental in making the culture of the two communities especially that of the Ibo known as their masks and sculptures are displayed in museums and have a brief history about the piece that gives insight to their culture.

References

Aniakor, C.C. and Cole, H.M. (1984) Igbo Arts: Community and Cosmos. Museum of Cultural History, University of California: Los Angeles.

Birmingham Museum of Art. (2010). Birmingham Museum of Art: Guide to the collection. Birmingham: Museum of Art.

Eltis, D. & Richardson, D. (1997). HYPERLINK “http://books.google.com/books?id=kuXEzQZQmawC&pg=PA87&dq” Routes to Slavery: Direction, Ethnicity, and Mortality in the Transatlantic Slave Trade. London: Routledge.

Gearon, L. (2002). Human Rights and Religion. Brighton, UK: Sussex Academic Press

Njoku & Eberegbulam, J.E. (1990) The Igbos of Nigeria: Ancient Rites, Changes, and Survival. Lewiston, N.Y: Mellen Press