Object Name: War spirit headdress with janus figures
Place of Origin: Nigeria
Cultural Group: Delta peoples
Materials Used: Wood
Dimensions: H: 66 cm, W: 13.75 cm (H: 25.9 in, W: 5.4 in)
Credit line and Accession Number: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Anonymous Gift. X78.124

This headpiece with its janus form–each figure baring its teeth–and its surmounting animal–apparently a monkey–resembles certain Ijo bush spirit images. On the other hand, the overall softness and delicacy of the features might indicate an origin among neighboring Edo or Igbo peoples on the northeastern fringes of the Delta.

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 151