Ogbodo Enyi Elephant Spirit Mask (Igbo)
Ogbodo Enyi · Ogbodo Enyi
Attribution rests on documented field collection or recorded observation of the object in use. No collection history is established for this object. Nothing here should be read as evidence of lawful acquisition or export.
About Ogbodo Enyi
Ogbodo Enyi means elephant spirit: ogbodo is spirit and enyi is elephant. Among the Izzi of northeastern Igboland it is a heavy mask with a carved, aggressive, leadership presence, usually worn by men.
Its story also holds one of the most remarkable exceptions in African masking. In the Izzi village group of Nkaliki, the women have danced their own Ogbodo Enyi since 1975, on the instruction of the community oracle. Their mask looks like the men’s, but it carries a different spirit and belongs to a different society, and the male masker formally acknowledges it when he performs. I tell this story in full in the chapter on women and mask traditions in my book.
From my book
I photographed this mask during my field work and it appears in my book Within Carved Lines: The Secret Meanings of African Masks. You can read five chapters of the book free here, or get the full book in paperback or hardcover on Amazon.
Record
| People / culture | Igbo |
|---|---|
| Country | Nigeria |
| Region | Izzi, northeastern Igboland, Nigeria |
| Indigenous name | Ogbodo Enyi |
| Common name | Ogbodo Enyi |
| Subject depicted | Elephant |
Provenance
| Collection | Field photograph by Michael Ukwuma |
|---|
Source
This record is a catalogue entry, not an appraisal, valuation or legal determination. Nothing here should be read as evidence that an object was lawfully acquired or exported.