Mask (Elu)
Small delicately carved face masks with pert noses and childlike facial features representing male and female spirits (elu) appear in village masquerades among Ogoni peoples living between the Niger Delta and Cross Rivers of southern Nigeria. Many of these face masks are cut across the mouth allowing the wearer to articulate the jaw as the spirit speaks through him. The open mouth reveals narrow teeth, usually made of cane.
Photograph by Bruce M. White, 2011
White, Bruce M.
Ogoni (African people)
Masks, Ogoni
Nigeria
Africa
Twentieth century
1809 x 13 x 12 cm
Artifact
masks (costume)
African Art
Copyright declaration applies to digital photographs and not the mask depicted in them.
Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University
Emory University
Michael C. Carlos Museum