Igbo (Ibo) Art

About

The Igbo of south-eastern Nigeria traditionally lived in self-governing villages without a single royal court, and much of their art grows from associations, titles and shrines. The earliest evidence is spectacular: excavations at Igbo-Ukwu uncovered bronzes of the 9th and 10th centuries, including vessels shaped like shells and a pot wrapped in cast rope, covered in minute granules and coiled threads.

Later traditions centre on masquerade and shrine. Ikenga figures, horned and often holding a knife and a tusk, embody a man's personal drive and success. White-faced maiden spirit masks dance with tall crested hairstyles, and the towering Ijele appears at major festivals. In the Owerri area, communities built mbari houses filled with painted clay figures honouring the earth deity Ala. Women painted uli, fine curving lines, on bodies and walls, and in the 1970s Uche Okeke and others at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, made uli the basis of a modern style.