Elu (Face Mask with Articulated Jaw)

Artist Ogoni artist

Datemid 20th century

MediumWood, pigment, and organic reed

Dimensionsheight, width, and depth: 12 1/4 × 5 1/2 × 4 1/2 in. (31.1 × 14 × 11.4 cm)

ClassificationsWood

Credit LineGift of Rhonda Morgan Wilkerson, PhD

Object number2024.22.32

On View

On view

Label TextThese masks are unusually small and delicate, with articulated jaws operated by simple mechanisms that animate their performance. Commonly called elu, meaning spirit, they are performed by young men at funerals or the planting or harvesting of yams. More recently, they appear at Christmas and New Year celebrations and to welcome important visitors.

When white, their faces are associated with the youthfulness of benevolent spirits, and at least one of them may represent a beautiful maiden. Compare them to the maiden mask nearby, created by an artist of neighboring Igbo peoples.

Note: This work was displayed in a group with two other Elu masks [2024.22.31 and 2024.22.33].ProvenanceCreated in Nigeria, mid-20th century. [Charles Jones African Art, Wilmington, NC], Rhonda Morgan Wilkerson, Morrisville, NC; given to NCMA, 2024.Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," October 7, 2022–present. Object Rights Statement

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