Description (Physical description)
Costume with wooden headress.
A: Red cotton costume with ribbon of felt and cotton in white, yellow, black and green roughly stitched with wool. Blue roughly woven sock and white and brown mittens
B: The face is painted white and black with red lips. The decoration on the crown is painted black, blue, red and white. The mask represents either a ghost or a maiden spirit.
Event Date
Author: maa

Context ()
Register notes 'red outfit w. ribbon decoration + mask, for dance/ W. Africa, S. Nigeria/ Possiby Ibo (Ibibio)'.
Event Date 7/8/1978
Author: rachel hand

Context (Display)
Display labels rewritten in 2019 note 'Obugulu Mau
This masquerade was popular in the 1930s. It is distinctive in its female helmet masked character in bright harlequin-like tights. The red costume is made with ribbons of felt and cotton in white, yellow, black and green roughly stitched on with wool. the hands and feet are covered with roughly woven
Ibo people. Southern Nigeria Collector and donor unknown Z 26341 A-B
Event Date 2019
Author: Rachel Hand

Context (Display)
On display in the Nigeria case (26), Maudslay Hall, from 1990 onwards.
Label from 2012 notes 'Mmanwu Adanma/ This mask covers the whole body of the dancers. It is Mmanwu Adanma(beauty spirit), a maiden spirit from the Obugulu Mau or 'ghost' masquerade, and danced by men. Obugulu Mau was hgely popular among the Igbo people in the 1930s. We do not know who collected this mask./Igbo people. /Southern Nigeria/ Collector and donor unknown/ Z 26341 A-B'
Event Date 10/3/2021
Author: rachel hand

Context (Amendments / updates)
'Igbo' has been added to the cultural group field to reflect current day nomenclature.
Event Date 25/3/2021
Author: Benjamina Dadzie

Context (Related Documents)
See photograph of this costume by GI Jones (T.170108.GIJ), prior to 1989 redisplays.
Event Date 18/10/2024
Author: Rachel Hand