Browse Items (91 total)

This male figure has his hands on his hips and has large feet with pronounced toes. The figure is bronze, made with lost wax casting. It is one of a kind.

This bird's head mask has a beak with four nostrils and a carved red brown tongue. It is made of carved wood with a dark brown patina.

At the bottom of this large carved wood mask is a round face with a handle for holding it in front of the wearer. The mask of wood, with brown and black vegetable pigment, brown indigo, and white kaolin.

Carved wood with deep rich brown patina of a royal male with beard and tri-parte rounded coiffure, seated on throne chair holding staff with his left hand and a raised sword in his right, atop a chair- like base supported by 4 male ancestral figures…

This crocodile-shaped game board has recessed cups in its back for game use and holding the playing pieces. This mathematical game is played with cowrie shells or pebbles, and is similar to chess. The game board is carved out of wood with and dark…

This spoon handle features a human head with a ringed neck. A carved ring at the top of the head is used for hanging the spoon. The spoon is carved from wood and has red and brown patinas. It would be used to serve a ceremonial or community meal.

There tends to be uncertainty and questions arising from the meaning of the four faces on this particular style of helmet mask. It is believed that the white patina is a reference to the world of the ancestors. This type of mask was used during…

The mask is used by the Sande women’s society who live in an area known as the West Atlantic region which in the 15 century was called Guinea by European explorers. Sande society prepares young women for womanhood. When they have completed their…

The Ibo and Ekoi people live in Eastern Nigeria. Among the Ibo, the Ekpo secret society uses a variety of masks for paying tribute to their ancestors who they believe are in charge of their well-being. Mask features may be calm or fierce in…

This is an example of a ladder carved from a tree that the Dogon people use for climbing into a granary and in some instances, a home. There is a similarity in the shape at the top to that of the top of a togu na post. The arms signify the nommo, the…