Idoma Ikpobi Mask
Among the Idoma, ikopbi masks
like this one belong to the younger men's agegrade associations. This
masquerading tradition presumably emerged from the dances once
performed by warriors returning home from battle and presenting their
enemies heads as trophies to the village. The age-graders lost their
military function with the onset of the colonial period, and such
victory celebrations ceased. Today ikpobi maskers appear primarily at funeral ceremonies, and always in the male-female pairs.
*African Masks from the Barbier-Mueller Collection, Geneva
by Iris Hahner-Herzog, Maria Kecskesi, and Lasl Vadja ISBN: 3-7913-2709-7 |
