Maiden Spirit Mask
Artist/Maker
Igbo peoples
, Nigeria
Date20th century
MediumWood, kaolin, and cloth
DimensionsOverall: 19 × 13 × 7 in. (48.3 × 33 × 17.8 cm)
Credit LineGift in honor of Alexandra Gould (OC 2011)
Object number2011.26.25
Status
Not on viewAmong the Igbo people, as many of the Eastern Nigerian peoples, masquerades take the form of duality; personifying either beauty and ugliness, good and bad, or male and female. The maiden sprit masks of the Igbo are the most notable part of a costume that is danced by male masqueraders, to personify the feminine.
Maiden spirit masks perform in dances that represent the idealized physical qualities of young women, such as poise, gracefulness, small features, light complexion, and pointed breasts. Additionally, their charming demeanor and congenial and subservient nature in the masquerade represent the idealized social characteristics of the Igbo concept of the feminine.Among the Igbo people, as many of the Eastern Nigerian peoples, masquerades take the form of duality; personifying either beauty and ugliness, good and bad, or male and female. The maiden sprit masks of the Igbo are the most notable part of a costume that is danced by male masqueraders, to personify the feminine.
Maiden spirit masks perform in dances that represent the idealized physical qualities of young women, such as poise, gracefulness, small features, light complexion, and pointed breasts. Additionally, their charming demeanor and congenial and subservient nature in the masquerade represent the idealized social characteristics of the Igbo concept of the feminine.
One of the most notable features of these masks is the large coiffure. The crested coiffure is a sign to the Igbo of wealth and high social standing, and as such, it is featured on the mask in elaborate form.
Maiden masks are mostly danced during agricultural festivals though they also can have a role in the funerals of prominent Igbo villagers. On the occasion of funerals, maiden spirits are invoked along with other spirits as “escorts” of the highly respected dead into the next world.
During the agricultural ceremonies, maiden spirits appear to watch over the village and promote good harvest and overall prosperity. Compared to the menacing and powerful male spirits, the maiden spirits dance with playfulness and are meant to entertain both the living and the ancestors.
There is a more serious note to their joyfulness and playfulness, however, as these maiden spirits incarnate the ideal female behavior, in the ideal female body; a combination rarely if ever found in this world. Thus there is always in the background the notion that these spirits are the spirits of the idealized ancestors and as such, the dead.
The Allen's maiden spirit mask is a classical example with a large crested coiffure and all of the traits found in these masks.
Maiden spirit masks perform in dances that represent the idealized physical qualities of young women, such as poise, gracefulness, small features, light complexion, and pointed breasts. Additionally, their charming demeanor and congenial and subservient nature in the masquerade represent the idealized social characteristics of the Igbo concept of the feminine.Among the Igbo people, as many of the Eastern Nigerian peoples, masquerades take the form of duality; personifying either beauty and ugliness, good and bad, or male and female. The maiden sprit masks of the Igbo are the most notable part of a costume that is danced by male masqueraders, to personify the feminine.
Maiden spirit masks perform in dances that represent the idealized physical qualities of young women, such as poise, gracefulness, small features, light complexion, and pointed breasts. Additionally, their charming demeanor and congenial and subservient nature in the masquerade represent the idealized social characteristics of the Igbo concept of the feminine.
One of the most notable features of these masks is the large coiffure. The crested coiffure is a sign to the Igbo of wealth and high social standing, and as such, it is featured on the mask in elaborate form.
Maiden masks are mostly danced during agricultural festivals though they also can have a role in the funerals of prominent Igbo villagers. On the occasion of funerals, maiden spirits are invoked along with other spirits as “escorts” of the highly respected dead into the next world.
During the agricultural ceremonies, maiden spirits appear to watch over the village and promote good harvest and overall prosperity. Compared to the menacing and powerful male spirits, the maiden spirits dance with playfulness and are meant to entertain both the living and the ancestors.
There is a more serious note to their joyfulness and playfulness, however, as these maiden spirits incarnate the ideal female behavior, in the ideal female body; a combination rarely if ever found in this world. Thus there is always in the background the notion that these spirits are the spirits of the idealized ancestors and as such, the dead.
The Allen's maiden spirit mask is a classical example with a large crested coiffure and all of the traits found in these masks.
Collections
- African & Oceanic
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20th century
18th–19th century
n.d.
20th century
19th century
20th century
20th century
20th century
20th century
late 19th–early 20th century