A dance crest called ‘Ekeleke’, that is worn by the Ibo people, in South-Eastern Nigeria, on top of the head during ‘Owu dances’ in the dry season. During ‘Owu dances’ the Ibo people appeal to the water gods for rain and fertility. These dances also involve a theatrical battle between ‘good’ and ‘evil’. The ‘Owu dancers’ dance on short stilts. The present dance crest ‘Ekeleke’ is carved from lightweight, light-coloured wood. The hairstyle, with its hemispheric bun, the eyebrows, the small ‘coffee bean eyes’, the lips of the rectangular, open mouth with rows of teeth carved out from the same piece, as well as the customary tribal tattoos on both temples and cheeks are all dyed black on the beautifully carved, proportionally wide head. The head sits on a sturdy, long neck and on a round plinth carved out from the same piece.
It is visibly an old piece that has often ‘danced’. Some pieces have broken off (on the ears and mouth) and there are two cracks on the back of the plinth. It has a very good, old usage patina. Height: c. 28 cm. First half of the 20th century. (ME)

Provenance:
Austrian private collection.

Lit.:
'Igbo Arts. Community and Cosmos' by H. M. Cole & Ch. C. Aniakor, ill. 318, 319.