TITLE: Angas Helmet Mask
TYPE: helmet mask
GENERAL REGION: Africa
COUNTRY: Nigeria
ETHNICITY: Angas (Ngas)
DESCRIPTION: helmet-form dance mask
CATALOG ID: AFNG014
MAKER: Unknown
FUNCTION: Adult Initiation; Agriculture/Hunting; Secret Society
AGE: ca. 1970s
MAIN MATERIAL: woven vegetable fiber
OTHER MATERIALS: abrus seeds; string; cotton balls
The Angas people, also known as Ngas or Kerang, inhabit northeastern Nigeria, with a population of approximately 1 million persons. The Angas have a secret men’s society charged with performing dance rituals for male adult initiation, usually at harvest time during the Tsafi Tar or Mos Tar celebration. The dance is intended to ensure a prolific harvest and to teach young men the rituals of adulthood. The masks used in this ritual are covered in abrus seeds (Abrus precatorius), also known as the rosary pea or jequirity bean. The seeds are used primarily in masks and headdresses, jewelry, and to fill musical rattles. They are not consumed, because they are exceedingly toxic (a single, well-chewed seed can be fatal). Normally, the mask would have a tuft of animal hair inserted into the top hole. It would be worn with a loose-fitting robe of thin cloth and danced vigorously.
