M0012649: Yoruba head mask surmounted by a female figure and several child figures, Southern Nigeria

Carved wooden head mask, probably used in Egungun, masquerades celebrated by the Yoruba people in Southern Nigeria. The mask is surmounted by a female figure breastfeeding a child, carrying another on her back and accompanied by five more. The figure is possibly a representation of Ododua, the Earth Goddess. The mask was purchased at auction by the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum in 1925 and accessioned in 1936 (accession number R13444/1936). It was removed from the museum's holdings in November 1965. The mask was exhibited in the Museum's exhibition "Medicine of the Aboriginal Peoples in the British Commonwealth" held in 1952. Related images: M0014367