Ekpe costume

As a performer swept into the arena wearing this masquerade costume, the wide red, black and white raffia chest mane (nyanya) was the most striking visual element.  The mane and netted body stocking are made by hand by Chief Nsa and his workshop assistants.  The pattern on the mane depicts nsibidi symbols, a pictorial script and series of gestures used by members of Ekpe, an elite men’s social and political organization in southeastern Nigeria.  These symbols are repeated in the smaller raffia ruffs around the wrists and ankles.  The damask-lined element gives greater emphasis to the head, while the red circles outline the dancer’s eyes.  The costume performs in Nyoro, a masquerade performance competition between local Ekpe lodges that has become a more formal performance and tourism event since the 1990s.  Masqueraders learn through an apprenticeship system.  A successful performer will seek advice from senior Ekpe leaders, who instruct him in the etiquette of nsibidi gestures expected in competition, as well as Ekpe members who are renowned for their choreography and performance in masquerade.  The three large annual Nyoro competitions attract between 10 to 20 dancers who perform at the highest level and compete for cash prizes. 

This costume was purchased from Chief Nsa for the MFA by Dr. Jordan Fenton, a professor at the Miami University of Ohio who studies the economics of masquerade performance in Calabar.  The MFA collection also includes two raffia fiber costumes made by Etubom Asuquo Etim, the leading raffia artist in Calabar who is a generation older than Chief Nsa.  You can find them by searching for the term 'Efik' in the Collections Search.