African Arts Gallery

French collection of African tribal art.

African mask associated with the spirits of nature, used by one of the male brotherhoods sekiapu or "dancing people". They wore it obliquely on their heads. Polychromy orange, dark green and black. The Ijo of the Niger Delta live mainly from fishing and agriculture, and their small villages are located in marshy areas west of the Nun River. References to their warrior past abound in reliquaries, rituals and masked celebrations.
Their masks and other artistic productions are intended to honor the aquatic spirits, oru or owuamapu, whom they venerate and to whom sacrifices were intended. The fishermen had to be careful not to offend these spirits, otherwise they could unleash their wrath on the various dangerous animal species in the region, such as hippopotamuses, crocodiles or pythons. They also consider that all their masks, zoomorphic or anthropomorphic, Owumo, are water spirits. ("The Other Face", ed.A.Biro and "Arts of Nigeria" ed.5Continents.)