Mask with articulated lower jaw "elu"

Description

wood, reddish brown patina, black paint, white pigment, narrow face with regular facial features and accentuated ear conches, flanked by plug-like plaits, slightly dam. (nose tip), missing parts backside at the rim, rep. (right plait), abrasion of paint;
“elu” masks are worn by young men of the “ogoni” secret society. They were attached to a cone-shaped fibre and cloth cap. The corresponding costumes varied. The small caricatures represent different characters. In a funny or tragic way they illustrate oral traditions in stories and songs.