Ritual & language· Anang / Ibibio
Ekpo
Anang and Ibibio ancestor-masquerade — black and white masks personify the visiting dead.
Ekpo is the ancestor-masquerade society of the Anang and Ibibio (south-eastern Nigeria). Masks are danced at the end of the dry season — they represent the ikan ekpo, the spirits of the dead, who return to the village to bless or punish.
Distinctive masks split into a "beautiful" (idiok) female register and a "fierce" (mfon) male register, often boldly carved with deep-set eye-cavities, prominent foreheads and contrasting paint.