1938.15.69

Collection type

Object

Description

Headdress mask representing Abam, a predatory fish.

Long description

Painted wooden mask carved in a number of separate pieces representing a predatory fish, 'Abam', which is painted on one side and '£1:' on the other side. Designed to be worn on top of the head and used for owu or water-spirit masquerades. The wooden base is shaped to fit on the head with a twisted length of twisted cord attached. [ZM 02/04/2014]

Geographical reference

Nigeria

Africa > Western Africa > Nigeria

Southern Nigeria Niger Delta Rivers State Rumuji town

Cultural groups

Ikwerre Igbo

Southern Igbo

Person

Field collector Gwilym Iwan Jones

PRM source Gwilym Iwan Jones

Date / Period

Date made: Before 1937

Date collected

1937

Acquisition information

Donated: 1938

Materials and processes

Material Wood Plant, Material Pigment, Material Glass, Material Metal, Material Plant Fibre Yarn, Process Painted, Process Carved, Process Twisted, Process Perforated

Dimensions

Depth 460 mm, Width: max 640 mm, Length: max 980 mm

Object numbers

Accession number: 1938.15.69

Research and responses

In a letter to Henry Balfour dated 5 July 1936, the donor (Gwilym Iwan Jones) writes: 'I sent you a case of "masks" and figures for the Pitt Rivers. One of them "Abam" price £1 you will have to reconstruct. Here is a photograph taken by Chadwick showing the complete "mask" & its make [sic; maker?] for your guidance'. The photograph appears to have been accessioned by the Museum as 1998.208.39.1; two others associated with the donor (i.e. 1998.208.39.2 and 1998.208.39.3) appear to show a similar (but not identical) mask in performance. It is not known when or how the latter two photographs were acquired. Original letter is in RDF. [GI 6/12/2001; JC 3 12 2008]

John Picton examined this mask during a consultation visit to look at Igbo masks on 12 November 2013 and noted the following: This appears to be a shark or predatory fish, for information about this style of mask and images of similar ones see John Picton, 1988, 'Ekpeye Masks and Masking' in African Arts, Volume 21, No. 2 pp. 46-53 and 94. Ikwerre is a region comprising of a group of villages and is within the southern Igbo region of Igboland. [ZM 20/11/2013]

Search terms: Ornament, Clothing Headgear, Figure, Mask, Headdress, Fish Figure