Object Name: Female puppet
Place of Origin: Nigeria
Cultural Group: Ibibio peoples
Materials Used: Wood, pigment, and beads
Dimensions: H: 66.0 cm, W: 19.20 cm, D: 16.50 cm (H: 25.9 in, W: 7.5 in, D: 6.4 in)
Credit line and Accession Number: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of the Wellcome Trust. X67.607a,b

The elaborate coiffure, ornaments, and body painting seen on this puppet indicate that it is intended to represent another young female initiate poised at the threshold of marriage and motherhood.

Source: Anderson, Martha G. and Peek, Philip M. ed. (2002): “Ways of the Rivers: Arts and Environment of the Niger Delta” Los Angeles, UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History. page 296