Ekpo Society Mask Ibibio Cross River State Africa

Title: Ekpo Society Mask
Type of Object: Mask
Ethnic Group: Ibibio
Country of Origin: Cross River State, Nigeria
Materials: Wood, pigments
Approximate Age: mid 20th century
Dimensions: Height 14 inches, Width 6.5 inches
Overall Condition: Fair
Damage, Repair:  Old bug damage to side, chips
Provenance: This piece comes from a European collection. The owner was a diplomat in Zaire and then Angola and collected these pieces in the late 1960s. Statement of provenance to buyer.

Additional Information: The powerful Ekpo Society controls almost every facet of Ibibio life. The Ekpo, which is strictly for men, is technically in charge of initiations and directing ceremonies venerating ancestors, who are the most important influence in Ibibio culture. Masked Ekpo dancers direct funerals to insure that the dead receive the proper respect. If they do not, punishment can be swift and brutal, and the Ekpo, as practiced by the Ibibio, who number over one million, has sometimes been described as "police brutality," such is their stranglehold on political and social power. In fact, the Ekpo was so dominant during British occupation that colonial officials just relented and allowed the society to operate. Ekpo masks can be serene and beautiful, or fierce and frightening. Ibibio carvers are highly respected throughout the Niger Delta and Cross River areas, and they are often asked to carve masks for other groups, like the Boki, Anang, and Ogoni. The Ogoni, in fact, do not have an Ekpo Society, but enjoy Ekpo dances, and have, on occasion, purchased masks from Ibibio carvers. Our old Ekpo is large and menacing, with its dramatic horns sweeping backwards, and must have caused great fear among the villagers. See "Masks of Black Africa", by Segy.