Deformation mask "idiok ekpo" ·  Nigéria, Ibibio · ID: 3037328

Description

wood, dark brown patina, white pigment and yellow ochre, grotesque face without nose, broad mouth and large deeply hollowed eyes, slightly dam., minor missing parts, cracks, traces of insect caused damage backside at the rim, abrasion of paint;
during mask performances, reincarnated ancestors who were immoral, agitated, and wayward are represented in masks called “idiok ekpo”, whose moral ugliness is indicated by the dark surfaces and disfigurations from diseases like gangosa, facial paralysis, tumours, and harelips. Gangosa is designated as “no-nose” by English-speaking Ibibio. It is characterized by destruction of the nose and occurs in later stages of yaws and endemic syphilis (non-venereal syphilis). Another type of nasal deformity in Ibibio masks is the so-called “ibuo akwanga” or “twisted” nose.

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