African Art at the
Ralph Proctor Gallery"Nigerian Traditional Artifacts"
Ceremonial Mask
- country: Nigeria
- people: Ibibio
- medium: wood, paint
- size: 14" x 8" x 5"
- inventory #: rpg0279
- price: $4,000.
This museum-quality mask is over 80 years old, and belonged to the Ekpo, the most powerful male secret society. It was used in initiation rituals and funerals. It has been repainted so that it is at the height of its power. It has an articulated jaw because it has the power to speak and reveal the names of wrongdoers. Legend says that this mask is so powerful that when it cried, the tears burned into the skin, leaving the furrows you see on the face.