Mask · Nigeria, Urhobo · ID: 3039016
Description
wood, polychrome paint, tribe-typical facial features and scarification marks, triangular rising head ornament with three vertical projections, rep. (breakage appendages), cracks, paint rubbed off, base;
this mask type is used in ceremonies honouring the water spirit “ohworhu”, common to the southern Urhobo communities. Once in a decade the people of Evwreni celebrate “ohworhu”. On two days of masquerade dancing and during preliminary rites spaced throughout the previous months, they honour the spirits responsible for the well-being of the community. Works of art in wood and palm raffia come to express deep-seated beliefs in water-and-forest-based spiritual forces.
Comparing literature
Foss, Perkins (ed.), Where Gods and Mortals Meet, New York 2004, p. 122, ill. 71