IDNO

LS.52053.GIJ

Description

An Item comic male mask; the mask is flanked by heads of a pig and a dog. The mask is round and the face is painted white with black markings. There are two large holes for eyes and pained black eyebrows, painted linear nose, painted lips and two circular painted markings on the cheeks; the hairline is also painted black. On the left of the mask is the heed of the pig painted black and white with a circular snout; on the right side is the head of the dog painted black and white. There are strands of raffia or dried grasses adorning the mask; two carved hands are holding the mask supporting the chin. In the background is a walled area.

Place

W Africa; Nigeria; Eastern Nigeria; Northern Bende division

Cultural Affliation

Item

Named Person

Photographer

Jones, Gwilliam Iwan (known as G.I.)

Collector / Expedition

Date

circa 1930 - 1939

Collection Name

Jones Collection

Source

Jones, Gwilliam Iwan (known as G.I.)

Format

Lantern Slide Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

LS.52051.GIJ to LS.52057.GIJ were found with the piece of paper now numbered C247/4/ which was in wooden box formerly numbered 22. It has now been renumbered C247/ by the cataloguer.

The inscription on the box as well as a descriptive list of slides pasted on the inside lid of the box indicates that it originally contained lantern slides from the Fens and belonged to D.G. Reid.

However, the lantern slides are attributed to G.I. Jones because the handwriting on the paper is found inside wooden box C246/ is similar to the handwriting on the papers found inside wooden box C247/.

Publication: Same image published on John McCall’s G.I. Jones website with the following information: [Source: www.siu.edu/~anthro/mccall/jones/, AF ]
1. Index to various Igbo groups: Ngusu Ada, Isu Ikwu Ato, Alayi, Item
2. Item Igbo
3. Lugbulu Mask Comic male flanked by heads of a pig and a dog (5th image).

Context: ...the Item and Alayi tribes had their own particular masquerades called Lughulu. The characters wore masks, not heads, and these were of two kinds: beautiful, which were female, sometimes white-faced, sometimes stained a reddish brown colour with cam wood: and ugly, which were either white-faced or stained black, and were considered comic rather than fierce. These masks were sometimes full-sized but often, like some Ogoni masks, were small and designed to cover only the upper portion of the actor’s face, leaving his mouth and jaw exposed (Jones, 1984, p.206)

Context: Cole and Aniakor write, "In Item and Ugweke, for example, a series of fine masks are danced in a ‘play’ called Lughulu that includes the familiar opposition of pretty females and ugly males but almost nothing is known about the cult." (Cole and Aniakor, 1989, p. 166).

Bibliographical Reference:
Jones, G.I., 1984. The Art of Eastern Nigeria (Cambridge University Press)
Cole, H. & C. Aniakor, 1984. Igbo Arts: Community and Cosmos (Museum of Cultural History, University of California)

This catalogue record has been updated with the support of the Getty Grant Program Two. [Alicia Fentiman 18/3/2008]