Additional information
| Ethnic Groups | |
|---|---|
| Regions | |
| Primary Materials | |
| Materials |
Charismatic Okoroshi Oma
Charismatic Okoroshi Oma mask from a prolific workshop of Okoroshi masks. Herbert Cole and Chike Aniakor describe the Okoroshi tradition in Igbo Arts: Community and Cosmos, writing that during the peak of the rainy season, masqueraders congregate in several Igbo village groups to perform and dance. These maskers are called Okoroshi, meaning “water spirit”; some Okoroshi represent “beautiful spirits” — Oma — while others function as more menacing or deliberately unattractive presences — Ojo. This example bears archetypal qualities of an Oma mask: a “small, symmetrical, fine-featured and delicate” face, painted white. Cole and Aniakor write that women are much respected in Igbo society, “as evidenced by the white masks and costumes idealizing them” — though it is the men who don the white masks and costumes for the masquerade ceremonies. Similar Okoroshi Oma masks can be found on pages 194 and 195 of Igbo Arts.
11″
