Superb helmet in wood, kaolin and pigments, typical of the Igbo ethnic group of Nigeria

Height: 48 cm, width: 20 cm, depth: 50 cm

The Igbo ethnic group

A people of farmers, mainly cultivating yams, the Igbo are one of the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria with the Hausa and the Yoruba; clashes with these two ethnic groups led them to try to regain their independence in 1967, by creating Biafra, with the consequences that we remember: massacres, famines... Biafra was reintegrated into Nigeria in 1970.

Sources vary as to their number - they accused the central government of underestimating their number for electoral reasons - but generally agree around 15 to 20% of the Nigerian population, or between 24 and 30 million people.

They occupy the southeastern part of the country and constitute a significant part of the population of the country's two main cities: Lagos and Kano.

In terms of social organization, the Igbo lived in small independent communities (villages), governed by a council of elders whose power was counterbalanced by secret societies. It was the arrival of British colonists in 1870 that gave rise to a sense of ethnic identity.

Igbo Art

Prolific and often colorful, with white as the dominant color, Igbo artists are best known for their Ikenga statues that, placed on personal altars, receive prayers and libations before each important event in life.

They also produced many masks and costumes representing people, animals, or even downright abstract. The function of the masks, however, varies according to the communities...

The helmet of a deceased young Igbo woman

One of the best-known Igbo masks is the one presented here, which evokes the spirit of a deceased young woman and idealizes feminine beauty by drawing inspiration from the Ibo canons of beauty of young women adorned for the marriage preparation ceremony.

The face is naturally white (the color of death) and the facial scarifications are the distinctive signs of the clan to which the young woman belonged.

Variants of the name Igbo:

There are different spellings of the name of the ethnic group: Igbos, Ibo, Ibos, Eboe, Heebo