Cimera Jano De Piel

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 is a double-faced scimer mask, Jano style, on a braided wicker base that serves as support on the carrier's head and for the fastening of the vestments. On the head is raised a curved horn, of wood covered in leather as well as the face of the mask. The mask denotes the passage of time.

His masks are manifested in the rites of initiation of the new members and in those of ascent to higher degrees of society. They also appear at funerals and some important festivities.