IDNO

P.71502.GIJ

Description

A man holding two Lugbulu masks; a female mask and a male mask. The mask on the left is a comic male mask which is dark in colour, the mask has rounded eyes accentuated in white paint a small nose and square open mouth; the cheeks are swollen and look puffy; the mask on the right is the female mask. It is lighter in colour with delicate features; circular designs on the forehead, slit eyes, long nose and pursed mouth; the top of the mask culminates in a pointed coiffure. The man is wearing a shirt and a plaid wrapper around his waist. In the background is a wall and a shaded area with raffia.

Place

W Africa; Nigeria; South Eastern Nigeria; near Umuahia; Uzuakoli area

Cultural Affliation

Igbo [historically Ibo]; 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

Print Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

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 Man holding ‘female’ mask and ‘comic male’ mask (1st image).

Publication: A reproduction of this image was displayed in Collected Sights in the section G.I. Jones’ Photographs of Nigerian Masquerades with the descriptive label: “Man holding Lugulu masks of the Item tribe, one female and one comic male.” (Herle et al, 2001).

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:
Herle, A. with R. Boast and S.Guha (2001) Collected Sights: Photographic Collection from Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology 1860s-1930s (Cambridge).
Jones, G.I., 1984. The Art of Eastern Nigeria (Cambridge University Press)

This catalogue record has been updated with the support of the Getty Grant Program Two. [Alicia Fentiman 14/11/2007]