241006 - Traditional kapkap mask from the Ogoni - Nigeria.

Old Tribal used African kapkap mask from the Ogoni, Nigeria.
Hand carved from a single piece of wood.
Height: 38 cm.
This Ngoni mask was dated in mid 20th century and comes with a certificate of authenticity.

This rather large face mask, a Kap-kap mask, comes from the Ogoni people of southern Nigeria. These types of masks vary in size from small hand masks to larger masks that are worn on the face.

The masks have articulated jaws that make a clapping sound, hence the name "kap-kap". These masks are danced during initiation ceremonies. They are meant to represent an ancestor or high-ranking person in society. The Ogoni people live along the coastal region near the head of the Cross River.
This beautifully polychromed mask has a smiling mouth and a crown-like structure on the head. It shows signs of repeated pigmentation and crusting in the past.
Ogoni live to the east of the Niger delta, in a fertile area rich in petroleum resources. Despite the efforts of Christian missionaries, they have retained a vital, regionally varied masquerading activity that is in part deeply rooted in their own tradition and in part adopted from neighboring ethnic groups such as the Ibibio or Ijo. Ogoni mask dances serve a great variety of functions, which, depending on the region, can extend from pure entertainment to participation in funeral services and harvest festivals, all the way to the implementation of judicial verdicts. The masks of wild animals are danced, acrobatically, on the occasion of agrarian rituals.