Helmet Mask

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Culture Igala

Title Helmet Mask

Date Unknown

Medium Wood

Dimensions Object: 11 1/2 × 8 1/2 × 9 3/8 in. (29.2 × 21.6 × 23.8 cm)
Overall: 11 1/2 × 8 1/2 × 9 3/8 in. (29.2 × 21.6 × 23.8 cm)

Credit Line Gift of Dr. Robert John Sayer, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 82.14.3

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About this Work

For the Igala peoples, masks played an important role in annual celebrations relating to the significance of both the earth and ancestors. This helmet mask was used during annual yam harvest celebrations, a time of both agricultural and political renewal within the community. Representing the embodiment of a spirit of the dead, this mask is part of a highly evolved system of masks that represent the relationship between the living and the dead and can represent either an individual or collective ancestor.

Characteristic in its form, the heavy facial scarification with the addition of the “cat’s whiskers” arrangement are found on many Igala masks.

Provenance
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Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Helmet Mask | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=82.14.3