CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Mask
1880 - 1901
About the object
Wooden Ekoi mask covered with antelope skin. Barkcloth has been applied to the back of the mask. The mask has been painted black. Pointed sticks are used as teeth. The Ekoi live in West Africa in the border area between Nigeria and Cameroon.
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Realistic facial expressions are characteristic for the striking masks of the Ekoi. This is reinforced further by thinly scraped animal skin, which is pulled over the wooden frame or body of the mask. Pointed teeth, painting as well as plastic decorative scars reflect indigenous ideas of beauty, such as dental mutilation and scarification, which are still practiced today. Masks of this kind were owned by secret societies. They depict ancestors or represent the status of their owner within that society. Traditionally, they were worn by dancers during initiation or funeral rites. Before being used, the masks were rubbed with palm oil, decorated with feathers, teeth and eyes, then painted with clay. Today, dancers perform with these masks at Christmas. The original meaning of the masks has partly been lost through Christianisation. The mask was acquired by F. Staschewski, who worked for the German Colonial Society in Northwest Cameroon, in 1902. Translation: Timothy Connell
