Epko Society Mask
| Culture | Anang (Subgroup of the Ibibio) |
|---|---|
| Culture | Ibibio |
| Title | Epko Society Mask |
| Date | 19th–mid 20th century |
| Medium | Wood, incrustation, pigment, and and fiber |
| Dimensions | Object (without netting length): 12 3/8 × 7 13/16 × 6 3/4 in. (31.4 × 19.8 × 17.1 cm) Overall (includes mount and netting): 19 7/8 × 7 13/16 × 7 in. (50.5 × 19.8 × 17.8 cm) |
| Credit Line | Raymond and Laura Wielgus Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 87.24.1 |
| This artwork is currently off display. You may be able to see this artwork by filling out an art viewing room request. | |
A wooden face mask with fiber netting hanging from the back and rounded projections at the chin create a beard-like form. The face has large open eyes, a short nose, thickly carved eyebrows and a mouth with lips separated.
This mask was carved for the Ekpo Society, a men's association dedicated to propitiating ancestors for the good of the community, upholding the powers of the elders, and maintaining social order. Its dark color indicates that it represents the spirit of a person who was immoral and evil, and who therefore was transformed at death into a ghost and forced to wander the world for eternity.
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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Cite this page
"Epko Society 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=87.24.1