Mask

Item number 2960/24 from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

Public

Item Records

This page shows all the information we have about this item. Both the institution that physically holds this item, and RRN members have contributed the knowledge on this page. You’re looking at the item record provided by the holding institution. If you scroll further down the page, you’ll see the information from RRN members, and can share your own knowledge too.

The RRN processes the information it receives from each institution to make it more readable and easier to search. If you’re doing in-depth research on this item, be sure to take a look at the Data Source tab to see the information exactly as it was provided by the institution.

These records are easy to share because each has a unique web address. You can copy and paste the location from your browser’s address bar into an email, word document, or chat message to share this item with others.

Data
Data Source

This information was automatically generated from data provided by MOA: University of British Columbia. It has been standardized to aid in finding and grouping information within the RRN. Accuracy and meaning should be verified from the Data Source tab.

Description

Wooden mask with very long raffia hair. Mask has a narrow pointed chin with an open mouth, small nose, and closed eyes with narrow slits for viewing holes. The brows are pronounced, a double line, rounded, meeting above the nose. Brows and eyelids are emphasized with small, evenly placed pieces of a bronze coloured metal. At the temples are carved small rectangular protrusions and the forehead is covered with rounded lines of protruding dots, holding small metal nails as decoration. Above the forehead are three prow shaped protrusions, decorated at their top ridges with metal, and carved lines down the sides. The crown of the head from the temples is decorated with embedded cowrie shells. Holes pierce the wood below the cheeks, and a wide ring of wood surrounds the mask on sides and bottom. Attached to this are mounds of raffia palm strips that serve as hair.

History Of Use

Worn at Goli festivals, which celebrate the harvest, important visits, and funerals. The structure of the face symbolizes elements of nature, such as the sun and how humanity is centred around it; raffia represents longevity and human growth.