Agbogho Mmuo, or Maiden

Spirits Spirit(s) commonly refers to: * Liquor, a distilled alcoholic drink * Spirit (animating force), the non-corporeal essence of living things * Spirit (supernatural entity), an incorporeal or immaterial being Spirit(s) may also refer to: Liquids ...

are annual

masquerade ceremonies Masquerade or Masquerades may refer to: Books * ''Masquerade'' (book), a 1979 children's book by Kit Williams that sparked a worldwide treasure hunt * ''Masquerades'' (novel), a 1995 Forgotten Realms novel by Kate Novak and Jeff Grubb * ''Masq ...

or performances held during the

dry season The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The t ...

in the Nri-

Awka Awka () is the capital city of Anambra State, Nigeria. The city was declared capital on 21 August 1991, on the creation of a new Anambra state and Enugu state by bifurcation of the old Anambra State. The city of Enugu remained the capital of Enu ...

area in the northern part of the Igbo people's traditional territory in

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. These masquerades can also be performed at funeral services, as well as initiation ceremonies in Igbo territories. Performed only by men wearing

masks A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment, and often employed for rituals and rites. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practical purposes, ...

, the masquerades imitate the character of

adolescent Adolescence () is a transitional stage of human physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated w ...

girls, exaggerating the girls' beauty and movements. The literal translation of ''Agbogho-mmuo'' is "maiden spirit". In the eastern bank of the Niger River,

Onitsha Onitsha ( or simply ''Ọ̀nị̀chà'') is a city on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. Onitsha along with various cities and towns in southern Anambra State, northern Imo State and neighboring Delta State on the we ...

, these masquerade masks are referred to as "''Agbogho Mmwanu''," meaning "unmarried girl." While the masks depicting young females are most common, Chinyere G. Okafor argues that ''Agbogho-mmuo'' "is not limited to youthful spirits"; instead, it refers more broadly to masks representing the "female essence". These masquerade performances are executed in an elaborate feminine style of dance to honor the femininity of the spirit maidens known as Agbogho Mmuo. The performances showcase an ideal image of an Igbo maiden. This ideal is made up by the smallness of a young girl's features and the whiteness of her complexion, which is an indication that the mask is a spirit. This whiteness is created using a chalk substance used for ritually marking the body in both West Africa and the

African Diaspora The African diaspora is the worldwide collection of communities descended from List of ethnic groups of Africa, people from Africa. The term most commonly refers to the descendants of the native West Africa, West and Central Africans who were ...

. The chalky substance is also used in uli design, created and exhibited on the skin of Igbo women. Most maiden spirit masks are decorated with representations of hair combs and other objects, modeled after late 19th-century ceremonial hairstyles. These hairstyles include elaborate coiffures and crests, which are intended to add beauty to the mask. The base colors featured on these masks are typically white, pink, or yellow, representing the feminine nature of the maiden spirit. Details on the maiden spirit masks include darkened eyebrows and mouths, as well as geometrical decorative markings of triangles, dots, and crescent shapes. The style in which these performances are executed is characteristic of vigorous, but elegant, with details of femininity.

References

Igbo art Igbo society Masquerade ceremonies in Africa {{Art-stub