Object Name: Mask of a woman with a local hairstyle
Place of Origin: Nigeria
Cultural Group: Ogoni
Materials Used: Wood
Dimensions: H: 19.69 cm, W: 17.78 cm (H: 7.7 in, W: 7 in)
Credit line and Accession Number: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Museum Purchase. X73.382

This carved wooden mask has an articulated jaw that can be opened to reveal sticklike teeth. This mask probably represents a beautiful young maiden who has completed initiation and is ready for marriage. Her hair is elaborately coiffed in spiraling braids.

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 279