Minneapolis Institute of Art

Dance Costume

Igbo artist

Date

20th century

Medium

Cotton, burlap, poly-blend fabric, poly-blend thread, needlework

Culture

Igbo

Department

Arts of Global Africa

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

In most examples of masked performance in Africa, the dancer wears some sort of body covering in addition to the mask. Museums often display the masks alone, but here we have the opposite: a costume lacking the wooden mask that would have accompanied it. During the Nigerian Igbo festival called “Fame of the Maidens, ” male dancers embody the ideals of youthful feminine beauty through their masks, costumes, and movements. The appliqué designs in vivid colors refer to female body ornamentation, traditionally a combination of scarification and body paint. This costume, created for a small person, was originally made in two parts and later joined.

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