Cimera Jano
Ekoi-Ejagan · Nigeria
Reference: MCYC-36
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- Height
- 43 cm
- Material
- Wood, skin and pigments.
The ekoi or ejagam are a Bantu village established in Cameroon and mainly in Nigeria, in the Cross River area. They have the “ekpo” society that…
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Full original description
The ekoi or ejagam are a Bantu village established in Cameroon and mainly in Nigeria, in the Cross River area. They have the “ekpo” society that exercises judicial functions, maintaining social order and great religious influence. They worship the god of heaven Obassi Ossaw and Obassi Nsi, god of earth. Its members wear large masks, sometimes two-sided Jano masks, covered in antelope skin and scimera masks. Jano masks dominate the past and the future as they can see in both directions. They are specialists in the manufacture of wood masks covered in antelope skin with natural hair or decorated with horns or large and twisted tails. They have reliquary heads of the same style. Apparently in their origins they were real human heads, mainly defeated enemies. They have zoomorph and anthropomorphic masks.
It's a 20's scimer mask. The mask, leather, is overmounted by a pair of ram horns. The caabello, simulating loops, is formed by a kind of thick-headed wooden nails. Two Jano faces are practically symmetrical.
Further technical information
- Width
- 30 cm
- Attributed period
- First third of the century XX
Details transcribed from the original catalogue; they are not a recent physical inspection.
Country on the map
Nigeria. The country associated with the catalog is shown, not the current location of the piece.
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