Unique Bird Crested Ibo / Igbo Ceremonial African Mask - Nigeria - 17" x 9"

Description

Igbo (Ibo) Ceremonial Bird Crested Mask
Terrific Display Piece-
Museum Quality
From Large Vintage Collection
Just Reduced 45% from OLP!
Truly a unique & beautiful Igbo (Ibo) mask as a form of history, culture or art.  We actually had a pair of these bird crested ones, (male & female) but one (the female) sold already for 0.  We included some background information on the culture from which this came below. We are not experts on these masks and the information was obtained from another site we found on such masks.  The Igbo date back as far as 900 A.D., maybe further and information on them can be found on line.
It measures about 17 inches by 8 1/2 inches & weighs a little over 2 pounds - hand carved from wood.  We obtained from a huge vintage African art & artifacts estate of Privately Held Collectibles. We included some pictures from that sale to show the quality of pieces it was housed with (they are the last two photo's in gallery, none of those pieces are included in this sale, we could not afford them).  See our site for one other mask we have remaining.
We this appears to be a male mask, far more masculine than the other we acquired with bird crest.  We are not sure of the exact date of this mask.  Based on the age of most pieces in sale and other masks, it most likely is from the late 1800's to mid 1900's.  It had a musty odor which has dissipated some since our acquisition . It was like it was stored somewhere or extremely old.  It is in great vintage condition with no real damage other than general vintage wear.
Let us know if you have questions before bidding.  We will combine shipping if you buy more than one mask.  We ship with utmost care.  As noted, Igbo tribal information is below.
The Ibo (or Igbo)
Ibo masks
are brought out, in particular for funerals when a mask representing a
maiden spirit
‘
Agbo mmaung’
is used. This mask has an emaciated and poignant face, enhanced with touches of white and wears tattoos. The half cloche coiffure is very elaborate and surmounted by a high crest. The Ibo use thousands of masks, incarnating the spirits of the dead; masks are used for both judicial and entertainment purposes. Through the masks, the Ibo reflect a certain complementarity, by opposing beauty with bestiality, the feminine with the masculine, black with white. The northern Ibo (in the Izzi sub group), also have a mask incarnating the spirit of the elephant.
The Ibo own monumental statues of the ancestors
, often polychrome and with a schematic rendering. The simplification of the forms is reduced down to the essential. The spirit of Ikenga is venerated as it brings success in business, hunting, crops, and war, as well as assuring prosperity.
The Ikenga statue
is a character always represented with two horns, recalling the aggressiveness of male animals. The statue sits on a chair, a clear symbol of authority.
The Ibo people (or Igbo, name given to them by the English), occupy a vast plateau between the Niger River and the Cross River in the south west of Nigeria.
Living in the thick forests or the infertile marshlands, they cultivate yams, they fish and trade.
Ibo (Igbo) Social Organisation
They are divided into 33 sub tribes spread over roughly 200 villages. This figure reveals a high density population of 10,000 inhabitants per village.
The male Mmow society has different grades or levels of initiates. One can enter the society at the age of ten, after having paid rights of admission and made the appropriate sacrifices. The initiation is progressive.
-        The youngest (first grade) learn that the masks are worn by men and learn through song the names of the different masks and how to imitate the falsetto voice belonging to the spirits.
-        It is the older initiates (second grade), of around thirty, that wear the masks, as the wearing and exhibiting of the masks requires a certain amount of stamina.
-        The elders (third grade) maintain order in the village.
The societies of elders and initiation societies maintain a socio-political cohesion. The Ibo culture has a very ancient past, and cultural artifacts dating from the 10th century have been excavated. The Ibo representations reveal an immense artistic wealth. There are a number of secret societies which remain accessible enough to welcome all those wealthy enough to pay their entry.
The success of an Ibo, both on a material, political and spiritual level, is determined by the will to succeed and physical strength. The ideal is to be a good farmer, gaining wealth, prestige and honour, to have a large family, and later to hold an esteemed position among the ancestors. This desire to succeed is manifested in family sanctuaries that are looked after and maintained by the men.
Ibo Masks
Ibo masks are brought out for funeral ceremonies during the course of which a maiden spirit mask ‘Agbo mmaung’ appears. This mask has an emaciated and poignant face, enhanced with touches of white and wears tattoos. The half cloche coiffure is very elaborate and surmounted by a high crest. Among the lateral decorative elements there are sometimes hair combs. This maiden spirit mask represents the Ibo feminine ideal. Beauty and serenity emanate from these works, in which the artist, whilst respecting the obligatory aesthetic canons, liberates himself from academism by creating a multitude of coiffures and decorations.
Masks are also used at the end of the mourning period, when the deceased’s soul enters the spirit world. Among those used are the zoomorphic masks that evoke an analogy between the physical perfection of wild animals and the stamina and vitality of the young men.
The Ibo use thousands of masks, which incarnate the spirits or the dead. These masks, made out of lightweight wood, play a role in the judicial system or in contrast are created for entertainment. They appear every year for the harvest celebrations, at the funerals of notaries or the commemoration of some initiation cults. Through the masks, the Ibo reflect a certain complementarity, by opposing beauty with bestiality, the feminine with the masculine, black with white.
The long face, surmounted by a crest incarnates the young pubescent girl during festivities in which virgins are honoured.
In the cults of the secret societies, the night spirits are represented by masks with very elaborated coiffures made out of crests, horns etc that are superposed one on top of the other.
Although patrilineage is the ruling structure, the importance of women is amplified in the masked dances of the ‘Agbo mmaung’, or maiden spirit mask.
Generally, the feminine masks are white, the black often being the prerogative of the masculine masks, the latter being characterized by rough and aggressive traits. These masks evoke the spirit of man as warrior, hunter and predator. The highly caricatural dances underline this male/female duality.
Among the masks of the northern Ibo there is a mask that incarnates the spirit of the elephant. The front of the mask represents an elephant with a frontal arch that bends up, evoking the elephant’s trunk. The back of the mask is mostly decorated with a human head or more unusually a small character. This mask, which is usually polychrome, is worn like a helmet on the top of the head. It is used for the new yam festival or more rarely at an important chief’s funeral ceremony.
The women and the uninitiated watch the masks perform from a distance.
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