Women’s Leather Cimer

Many ethnic groups in this area wear leather-lined wooden masks. At its origin it was human skin, especially defeated enemies, or men captured by headhunters, being subsequently antelope skin. They also have the “ekpo” society, a secret leopard society, which exercises judicial functions. 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. The female masks are more delicate and feature artistic ponytail hairstyles while the male masks express aggressiveness. The hairstyle of women, as in many other ethnic groups, indicates the social position of women and whether they are celibate or already married. They usually dance in pairs. Skin masks are carefully guarded as they are considered of great value. The members of society wear large masks, sometimes two-sided Jano masks, covered with antelope skin and cimere masks. Jano masks dominate the past and the future as they can see in both directions.

We are facing a female scimera mask that features an artistic hairstyle, with tangled ponytails forming scorpion tail-shaped volutes. The upper, central, is directed towards the front and the sides one towards the sky and the other toward the earth to indicate that it intercessor between heaven and earth or between man and the spirit world. The base of the scimer is vegetable fiber. Time skate.