Skip to main content

Ojo Onu Masquerade in Amuda Village

Image Masquerades
Close up portrait of Ojo Onu masquerade with a long snout wooden mask
Ojo (Eju) Onu (Long Mouth) masquerade character from the Obugulu Mau (Ghost) masquerade, Amuda village. Photographed by G.I. Jones, circa 1930-1939.

A photograph depicting a close up portrait of the Ojo (Eju) Onu (Long Mouth) masquerade character, part of the Obugulu Mau (Ghost) masquerade. The subject wears a carved and painted wooden head mask with two horns, eyes, nose, ears, and a protruding snout with teeth. The mask is painted with dark pigment and adorned with pale spots and lines. The costume includes a woven cloth that covers the upper half of the wearer. The background shows grasses, huts, and trees, indicating an outdoor setting in Amuda village.

Community Notes

Onyeka Nwokike

Sep 24, 2026

The character name Ojo (Eju) Onu derives from the Igbo word Onu, meaning mouth. In this dialectal context, Ojo or Eju describes the mask's defining physical attribute: its long mouth or protruding snout. Further archival details from the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge characterize the mask as animal-like and note that it is carved with ears, a nose, and two horns.

Onyeka Nwokike

Sep 24, 2026

While historically documented as being near Awka in the Onitsha Province, Amuda village is located in the Isu Ochi region, which is currently part of the Umunneochi Local Government Area. This regional detail is preserved in The G.I. Jones Archive (Southern Illinois University), which also lists other masks from the same location and period, such as the Awo Ohia (Traveller) Mmau Masquerade.

Log in to add context.

Previous
Buildings and Warehouses along the River Niger
Next
Painted Courthouse Mural at Nri

You May Also Like

Discussion

No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Discussion

Guest Mode