Maiden Spirit Mask (Isi abogefi)

A photograph showing the interior and exterior of an Igbo maiden spirit mask, known locally as Isi abogefi, collected by Northcote Thomas in Agukwu Nri in 1911. The mask is carved from egbu wood and features a white facial surface with yellow and ochre pigments on the forehead and black pigments on the nose and eyebrow ridges. It is decorated with circular raised-relief dots on the cheeks and linear patterns along the margins. The elaborate headdress, recorded as isi nkpo umu nwayi, includes a central crest, four combs, and carved birds representing a black pigeon (ndò) and a parrot. The mask was used in masquerades representing ideals of youthful femininity, typically performed by men during the annual Ude Agbogho (Fame of the Maidens) festival and the feast of Anuoye, a goddess of protection in Nri. Fibres remaining on the interior edges provide evidence that the mask was previously attached to a costume.