Nigerian Masquerade Costume On Display

PRM 1914.26.8 © Pitt Rivers Museum

On display in the Museum is this impressive full length masquerade costume from the Cross River region of Nigeria. Percy Amaury Talbot collected this while working as a colonial district commissioner in southern Nigeria. The photograph you can see below, taken by Talbot circa 1912, shows a member of the Akpambe cult almost certainly wearing the same costume.

Talbot's photo, 1998.177.5.1 © Pitt Rivers Museum

Akpambe, now mainly known as Obasinjom, is still practised in parts of Nigeria and Cameroon. Similar costumes are still worn for masquerades performed to detect witchcraft, which is often thought to be the cause of misfortune. The wearer becomes possessed by the Obasinjom spirit and moves around in a gliding fashion searching out witches in the local community.

The carved wooden mask worn on top of the head represents a crocodile. This is an animal that, like a witch, is dangerous on land and water. Mirrors have been used to create the eyes and signify the divinatory power of the masquerader. The feathers you can see on the headdress are said to be significant because they enable Obasinjom to pursue witches in flight.

I think this is probably the earliest intact costume of this type and encourage you to see it for yourself. Find this on the ground floor of the Museum in a new display exploring the fascinating subject of Nigerian Masks and Masquerade.

Zena McGreevy
Senior Assistant Curator

To read more about this masquerade see:

Koloss, Hans-Joachim, 1985, 'Obasinjom among the Ejagham' in African Arts Volume 18, Number 2 (February), pages 63-65 & 98-101 & 103.

Roschenthaler, Ute, 2004, 'Transacting Obasinjom: The Dissemination of a Cult Agency in the Cross River Area' in Africa: Journal of the International African Institute Volume 74, Number 2, pages 241-276.

Talbot, Percy Amaury, 1912, In the Shadow of the Bush. London: W. Heinemann.

Preparing a Nigerian Mask for Display

Mask, PRM 1938.15.69 © Pitt Rivers Museum

I am busy working on a new display in the Museum focusing on Nigerian masks and masquerade. While looking for masks that have not been on display, I came across an interestingly shaped, brightly painted one in a number of pieces.

Photo taken by Edward R. Chadwick in 1930s, 
PRM1998.208.39.1 © Pitt Rivers Museum

Gwilym Iwan Jones gave the mask to the  Museum in this condition in 1938 and provided this photo to help with its reconstruction. Here we can see the carver, as well as the complete mask. Unfortunately we do not know the man’s name, only that he is from the Ikwerre region of the Niger Delta in south-east Nigeria. If anyone recognises who this is please do get in touch.

The mask represents a masquerade character called Abam, a predatory fish. It is worn on top of the head with a masquerade costume concealing the wearer’s face. In the two photos below, taken during the 1930s, you can see Ikwerre men wearing similar style masks to perform owu or water-spirit masquerades.

 Probably both taken by Edward R. Chadwick in the 1930s
Right: PRM 1998.208.39.2 Left: PRM 1998.208.39.3 © Pitt Rivers Museum

John and I studying the mask © Pitt Rivers Museum

In the Collections Department of the Pitt Rivers Museum we look after the information about the objects. We are always keen to find out as much as we can. So in November I met up with the very knowledgeable John Picton, Emeritus Professor of African Art at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. John confirmed the Ikwerre people, who are often regarded as part of the southern Igbo peoples, still perform masquerades wearing impressive masks like this.

The reassembled mask ready for display 
© Pitt Rivers Museum

Miriam Orsini, a Conservation intern at the Museum, has carefully reassembled the mask with the help of the old black and white photo. My colleagues Alan Cooke and Chris Wilkinson, from the Technical Services Department, are currently devising suitable fittings to enable this mask to be included in the forthcoming Nigerian mask and masquerade display. I will let you know when the display is installed, and if you have an opportunity to visit the Museum I encourage you to come and see this mask for yourself, as well as the rest of the display.

Zena McGreevy

Senior Assistant Curator

To see my previous blog posts about African masks, click on the links below:

    Making it easier to explore the Museum’s African mask collections

    Learning from the Experts: Nigerian Masks and Masquerade

    Researching African skin-covered masks

To read more about Igbo masks and masquerades see:

Picton, John, 1988, ‘Ekpeye Masks and Masking’ in African Arts Volume 21, Number 2 (February), pages 46-53 & 94.

Jones, G.I., 1989, Ibo Art. Buckinghamshire: Shire Publications Ltd.