Not Currently On View in Intersections

Object Name: Leader mask
Place of Origin: Cameroon
Cultural Group: Kom peoples (?)
Materials Used: Wood, pigment, bast, cord, hair, encrustation
Date: 19th century
Dimensions: L: 22.3 cm, H: 37.5 cm, D: 16.5 cm (L: 8.7 in, H: 14.7 in, D: 6.4 in)
Credit line and Accession Number: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Anonymous Gift. X83.968

Masks from the Grassfields kingdoms are often associated with regulatory societies whose purpose is to ensure social control and law enforcement, as well as to check and balance the authority of the fon (king). These masks may depict either male or female characters. They appear in sequence with as many as thirty masks performing on a single occasion. The ”leader mask,” who symbolizes royal authority and lineage strength, wears a garment with tufts of human hair and carries two staffs.

Gallery text, Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives, 2006