A pair of Agbogho Mmuo masks, the maiden-spirit masks of the Igbo of south-eastern Nigeria. The two masks come from the estate of Amidou Kouandou (d. 2014), Grand Imam and a notable of ministerial rank in the Sultanate of Foumban, Cameroon.

1. The Maiden Spirit

Agbogho mmuo is the spirit of unmarried girls. The mask presents the ideal image of a beautiful girl, and in Igbo thought this beauty has two sides: the outward beauty of harmonious features, and an inner, moral beauty. Only when both are present is a girl regarded as beautiful. Moral beauty shows itself in good character: conduct towards the community, helpfulness, honourable bearing and a sense of duty.

2. Performance

Although the masks embody a young woman, only men dance them. The dancers appear in brightly coloured, ornamented cloth costumes that cover the whole body. Agbogho mmuo masks also appear at the funeral ceremonies of women of high social standing.

3. Provenance

The pair was kept in Foumban, in the estate of a senior figure at the Bamum court. It shows how such masks travelled well beyond the region in which they were made and danced.

Summary

A documented pair of Igbo maiden-spirit masks, carrying the Igbo ideal of outward and moral beauty, with a provenance from the court of Foumban.