Object Name: Mask of a man with a ‘house’
Place of Origin: Nigeria
Cultural Group: Ogoni peoples
Materials Used: Wood, fiber, cord, and pigment
Dimensions: H: 27.9 cm, W: 13.0 cm, D: 11.0 cm (H: 10.9 in, W: 5.1 in, D: 4.3 in)
Credit line and Accession Number: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Mrs. W. Thomas Davis, in memory of W. Thomas Davis. X76.1841

The structure atop this typically Ogoni face–a small house or perhaps a shrine with chevron designs on three sides–was probably intended to indicate membership in Amanikpo or Nkoo Societies, both of which had special meeting houses.

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 274