Cultural Archives
Mau Ghost Face Mask
A photograph depicting a Mau (ghost) face mask painted white with black pigment. The mask features slit eyes, an elongated nose, and a mouth with teeth, accompanied by ear projections. The forehead and under-eye regions are decorated with carved and …
Carved Wooden Shrine Object from North Ika
A photograph depicting a multi-tiered carved wooden shrine object from Asaba village in North Ika. The sculpture consists of a circular base supported by two crouched anthropomorphic figures, with a larger upper platform containing multiple figures. A central large-scale figure …
Ajonku Masquerade at Ovim Village
A photograph depicting an Ajonku masquerade character participating in a parade of masks. The masquerader wears a dark face mask with humanistic features, including almond shaped eyes, a nose, and an open mouth, highlighted with white paint. The mask is …
Carved Wooden Shrine Object from Aboh Town
A monochrome photograph depicting a multi-tiered carved wooden sculpture from South Ika, Aboh town. The object features a superior tier with two elongated anthropomorphic figures wearing cylindrical, flat-topped headpieces with vertical striations. The figures possess protruding eyes and slender torsos …
Carved Wooden Figure, North Ika
A monochrome photograph of a female-coded anthropomorphic wooden sculpture from North Ika, exhibiting stray Yoruba influence. The figure is depicted in a kneeling posture on a rectangular carved base, with a pronounced, rounded abdomen suggesting fertility or pregnancy. The head …
An Ekpe Masquerader in Uzuakoli
A black-and-white photograph from the 1930s by G.I. Jones depicting an Ekpe masquerader in Uzuakoli, present-day Abia State. The figure is centered in a medium-wide shot, wearing a large, volumetric mask with textured patterns and dark ocular regions. The costume …
Agwu Nsi Figures
A photograph depicting four wooden Agwu Nsi figures arranged linearly on a flat surface. From left to right, the figures include a small anthropomorphic figure with a conical headdress, a zoomorphic avian figure with an elongated beak, a stylized hybrid …
Figure of Chief North Ika
A monochrome photograph depicting a seated human figure in formal ceremonial attire. The subject is positioned on a raised pedestal within a structure featuring a slanted wooden roof and textured mud or clay walls. The figure wears a dark, high-contrast …
Mural Decorations in Nri Akwa
A photograph depicting a close up view of mural decorations on a wall in Nri Akwa. The murals feature two raised figures in relief, rendered with light colored pigments on a dark matte substrate. The figure on the left is …
Mud Figures of Chief, Attendants, and Commissioner of Police
A photograph depicting a series of humanoid figures composed of molded clay or similar material, arranged on a raised earthen platform within a semi-enclosed structure. The assemblage includes a seated figure in a military-style hat and jacket, a prominent seated …
Portrait of a Male Elder with Staff
A photograph depicting a half-length portrait of an elderly Igbo man. The subject is wearing a textured, ribbed knit beanie and an unfastened, heavy-weight jacket with a discernible weave. He holds a light-colored, smooth-textured wooden staff vertically in his right …
Decorated Pot from North Ika
A monochrome photograph depicting a large, globular vessel with a wide, circular rim. The body of the pot features a dense pattern of closely spaced, diagonal parallel ridges. Three high-relief anthropomorphic figures in squatting or seated positions are attached to …