Igbo Mask

"Igbo culture embraces the idea of a wide variety of gods, rather than being exclusive to one or several gods. This spiritual diversity promotes a great richness and dynamism in their ceremonies and worship. In the artwork surrounding their worship, there is a great emphasis on process rather than product, because the Igbo view the former as motion whereas the latter implies rest. This love of motion is evident in their masquerades in which the audience follows and often dances and shadows the dancersÕ movements. This particular mask belongs to the mmwo men's secret society of Nigeria, representing dead young wives. The face is whitened with kaolin; white is the symbolic color of death. The dancers did not merely represent, but were believed to be, the spirit of the dead. During a ceremony, they disguise their voices, aiming, to induce the dead man's spirit world (ebe mno) so to avoid any harm to the survivors."

http://www.spelman.edu/bush-hewlett/African_Art/igbomask.html