Water Spirit Mask
Living in a fluid environment filled with rivers and creeks has led to an Ijo belief in the existence of marvelous underwater towns. Masqueraders or “water people” are invited to come above ground to visit and provide glimpses of what goes on in their universe. Ijo masks tend to mix human and animal features, as seen in this inventive merging of a person’s circular eyes and broad ears aligned with spiraling horns and a crocodilian snout. When worn, the face would look skyward to simulate what it would look like if a water spirit was floating on the surface of the water. In masquerade, the water spirit arrives, wanting to engage with humans, and provide entertainment, purification and punishment. Often the sense of slapstick comedy would prevail, matching the oddball nature of the mask with a performer’s exaggerated movements.
Wood, pigments
22 x 6 1/2 x 9 in. (55.9 x 16.5 x 22.9 cm)
Gift of Mark Groudine and Cynthia Putnam
2014.30.3
Provenance: Private collection, Berlin; [Zemanek- Münster Auction, Würzburg, Germany, Sept. 8, 2012]; purchased from auction by Mark Groudine and Cynthia Putnam, Seattle, Washington; to Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 2014
Photo: Elizabeth Mann
