Kwagh-Hir performance mask, Tiv people, Nigeria
wood, pigment, animal skin
12” x 9.5” x 7”
1970’s - 1980’s
ex private US collection
I especially enjoy the facial expression of this particular example which is somewhat similar to the Pende Mbangu masks with the mouth represented on one side of the face and a curved winding nose, which in the Pende culture represents deformity due to facial paralysis. I am unsure if that was the purpose of the portrayal of the face on this mask, or if the expression is just one of a smug smile, but in any case the mask has a great overall character to it. The animal skin which has lost its hair originally represented eyebrows and a beard.
Tiv storytelling, called Kwag-Alom, has been a part of Tiv culture for many decades. It was in the 60's during the height of the Civil War that the people of Southern Tiv country added visual, musical and kinetic arts to the words of the storyteller to develop what is know as Kwag-Hir, literally meaning “magical thing”, which includes drums and singing and dancers to introduce the appearance of an elaborate puppet theater which alternates with dancing masqueraders who act out the themes of the stories and give them visual drama. The performance starts as the sun goes down and lasts until the sun comes up. The stories of Kwag-Hir mainly revolved around the core values of Tiv life, as well as political and cultural sketches depicting revolution and cultural independence from the oppressive British rule and other powerful Nigerian organizations.
SOLD 1100
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My friend Ethan Rider who is a tribal art photographer, consultant, author and dealer, graciously sent me some photographs and videos of Kwag-hir performances he filmed in Nigeria. These are serious performances, not something done for outsiders. He was there researching the Kwagh-Hir masquerade for a book he wrote (shown below). I have included the photos below along with a link to the video files on YouTube.
Thank you Ethan for your willingness to share these with me and others!
Ethan recently published a fantastic book on the Kwagh-Hir masquerades of the Tiv (shown below).
To see more information on the book and how to purchase it go to this link on his website:
"Most frequently, the large body masks are the main characters of a masquerade, and the helmet characters are supporting actors. This helmet mask character is different from that portrayed on your mask, but demonstrates how a helmet mask character can be the focus of a masquerade. Here, the masquerader wears an expressive helmet mask and a costume composed of textile strips, and carries a wooden knife. The man in the photograph who isn't wearing a shirt is somewhat of a director of the masquerade; he never portrays a character, although he does dance and entertain during intermissions. He carries flaming corn cobs (soaked in kerosene) on a stick, and leads the dancers around the ring. Because of the darkness and difficulty of seeing from inside the masks (especially the larger ones), he ensures the dancers don't careen into the audience who tightly encircle the performance area." - ER
"Many of the Kwagh-hir masquerades reinforce traditional beliefs, such as the power and aggression of the mbatsav gods, yet many other Kwagh-hir masquerades are instructive about practical matters, like the benefits of seeing a doctor. This picture shows helmet masqueraders in a performance of the latter: it depicts a woman of the night, and an excited man pursuing her (portrayed in a very animalistic manner)."- ER
"This photo, depicting a simian mask, is another example of a helmet masquerader being the sole featured character of a performance." - ER
"This photo shows two helmet masqueraders firing arrows into one of the aggressive mbatsav characters, depicted as a large body mask who is attacking and being attacked by human and animal characters, all carved from a single piece of wood. " - ER
"The first movie, entitled “helmetawesome” depicts the masquerader dancing more slowly than usual, but this is a great snippet because you get an excellent sense of the talent and size of the band. Comprised of about two dozen members, some vocalists, some instrumentalists, and some both, they perform almost continuously for hours at a time, with the precision of James Brown’s crew. They have no sheet music, and yet begin each song only seconds after the next allegory is announced (the order is not determined in advance). Aside from a few intermissions, they perform hundreds of songs back-to-back, over a period of 6-10 hours. " - ER (click on the photo above to watch the video)
"The second movie, called “faceawesome” shows a masquerader wearing a face mask (not a helmet mask), but gives you a better sense of the energy. The "hair" on the mask is unraveled video tape! - ER (click on the photo above to watch the video)
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