Mambila (Mambilla),  Cameroon & Nigeria.

Suah helmet crest. Some 20 to 25,000 Mambila, agriculturists and stockbreeders, inhabit the region bordering Cameroon and Nigeria, to the north of Grassland. Although they confess Christianity or Islam, they continue to maintain a masking tradition that serves to ensure fertility and the cohesion of the community. Carved masks appear in the context of annual suaga celebrations, which are reserved for men, while the women conduct their own suaga rites, in which they use leaf and foliage masks. This zoomorphic mask represents either a cow called suah duah or a dog called suah buah .These masks are worn on the top of the head. The masks have individual names. Such masks are used twice a month at the waxing and the waning of the moon and for the promotion of the welfare of the community. They were also used at sowing and harvesting festivals.

Material:  wood

Size:  35”x11½”x6”