This Tiv festival mask features a brightly pigmented face with a snake eating a bird in its superstructure. It measures 18.5 inches tall and weighs 2 pounds. There is some minor imperfections including chips, scrapes and scuffs – please inspect photos. Stand is not included.
Sale!
Tiv Festival Mask with Snake Eating Bird 18.5″ – Nigeria – African Tribal Art
Original price was: $500.00.$125.00Current price is: $125.00.
1 in stock
| Type of Object | Face Mask |
|---|---|
| Country of Origin | Nigeria |
| Ethnicity | Tiv |
| Animal | |
| Material | Wood and pigment |
| Approximate Age | Unknown |
| Height (Inches) | 18.5" |
| Width (Inches) | 10.25" |
| Depth (Inches) | 6.25" |
| Weight (Pounds) | 2 lbs |
| Overall Condition | Imperfections including scrapes, scuffs and cracks – see photos |
Tribe Information
About the Tiv people
“The 1,000,000 Tiv people live from farming fields on the left bank of the Benue River and take their name from their eponymous ancestor. They carve figures which are either large and elongated or naturally proportioned with round heads and occasionally scarification at the corners of the mouth and a crested coiffure. Some of these figures were used as posts for reception huts, while others, called Ihambe, are to linked to the concept of fecundity and marriage. Tiv blacksmiths have achieved notoriety for their ‘prestige’ adzes in which the handle ends in a stylized human head with a blade sprouting from it. These are used during festivities and important meetings. Their metal output also includes small copper figures with splayed legs and rounded heads”
Source:
Baquart, Jean-Baptiste. The Tribal Arts of Africa. New York: Thames and Hudson Inc. 1998. Print.
Additional Information
About the Kwagh-Hir
Kwagh-hir is a performance with different types of masks for different types of plays, meaning different things with a combination of storytelling, poetry, puppetry, music, dance and drama. Kwagh-hir translates to ‘something magical’. There are four different categories; the musicians, the management, sculptors and performers.