Izi people, Nigeria

9 inches, painted wood

This modern half-white, half-red Izi face mask came here by way of Germany. Izi is one of the languages spoken by the large Igbo ethnic group. Igbo culture includes customs and strong traditions of visual art, music and dance forms, as well as distinctive attire and cuisine.

The masquerade of okoroshi embodies both the dark side (masculine) and joyous, lighter side (feminine) of life. This one represents the feminine. They are found less frequently than their aggressive counterparts, as if to say that life, on the whole, is quite tough most of the time. The dance which they are part of begins close to the advent of the rainy season and it is no coincidence the name okoroshi means water spirit.

$495