Igbira Tribal Mask,
Nigeria
Occupying East Central Nigeria for at least a thousand years, the Igbira are well known for being skilled weavers and farmers. Agrarians, the crops comprise rice, millet, cow peas and groundnuts. Goats, sheep, cows and pigs are raised for local consumption.
This bearded ritual mask is wrapped with a turban the color of soil and a complexion reflecting the sparkling waters of the Niger River establishing the wearer as a chieftain of the harvest festival. In his mouth, in paternal fashion, he holds millet seed gathered from the crop.
Many of their ritual celebrations are held in an effort to achieve a balance between the spirits of the dead and the spirits of the living, to pay homage to their creator god, and endow the living with an abundant, successful harvest.
Below is a link to a fascinating video on the history of Africa before the Europeans and Arabs.
The video is 21 minutes long but well worth the time,
I'm sure you will learn something when you watch it.
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The Igbira Tribal Mask is part of MoAW's
Faces of Africa, a Mystical View of Tribal Heritage
exhibition.
Celebrating the tradition of ritual and ceremony for more than 3,500 years, the mask is a sacred and revered object, honored and beloved in addition to being a feared and dangerous entity. For the people of Africa, tribal masks and sculpture represent the invisible force assigned to it, which may be the spirit of a wise ancestor, a tutelary deity or any embodiment of supernatural power from the animal kingdom. Whoever wears a mask combines and unites their strength to the spirit associated with it, enhancing value and heightening power, creating a mystical empyreal bond between the past and present, the sacred living and the honored dead.
Faithfully recreated by award-winning artist Richard W. Jones, this critically acclaimed collection of authentic reproductions of ancient masks, murals and sculptures celebrates 3,500 years of African tribal art and traditions.
From ancient Nok heads to the spectacular masks of Dogon dances and contemporary South African murals, the Faces of Africa is an intimate and mystical view of the tribal heritage.
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Each Friday we highlight a different artifact or fossil from MoAW's collection. With over 250 currently on display, with rotating exhibits and future acquisitions, we won't run out of pieces to spotlight anytime soon.
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Next Week;
Nanosaurus, also known as
Orthnielia rex
He made his acting debut in
Jurassic Park,
should have won the Oscar for his work, and he had odd eating habits. Find out next week, always something new to learn at MoAW!
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Exhibition Changes Coming After the Current School Year.
Want to come back and see it all for free?
After the current school year we plan to rotate the Faces of Africa out and bring in
Vessels of the Gods
:
Reflecting the brilliance of a millennium of ancient Aegean culture, four distinct periods produced the designs of these vases: Minoan, Mycenaean, Corinthian and Attic. Essentially consisting of silhouetted figures drawn against a background of red, black, or white, this art form gradually dies out after the Persian wars, c. 475-450 B.C. Shaped and painted by hand, these exquisite reproductions were created in Greece by master artists from the originals housed in The National Museum, Athens, The Heraklion Museum, The Thera Museum, The Corinth Museum, The Delphi Museum, The Louvre Museum, The Vatican Museum, and The Museo Civico, Brescia.
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