Headdress: Ram

Unknown

19th–20th century · Wood, hide, twine, cloth, nails, pigment, wood slats, cane · Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

Conceived as a crocodile, the at once dangerous and alluring water spirit Nimm was the focus of a powerful women’s association. Early twentieth-century accounts of the group’s masquerade highlight the ferocity of Nimm’s movements. The awe-inspiring crest that accompanied the performance amplified that quality through its open jaw and bared, individually set teeth, as well as its associated costume of tattered cloth or netting, smeared with mud from the riverbed. The coiled, spiral horns that extend from the crown of this hide-covered example evoke the many rivers that wend their way through southeastern Nigeria. The horns also resemble the elaborate coiffures worn by women in this region.

Artist

Unknown

Date

19th–20th century

Medium

Wood, hide, twine, cloth, nails, pigment, wood slats, cane

Culture

Ejagham peoples

Department

Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

Credit line

The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchase, Nelson A. Rockefeller Gift, 1970