Nigeria

Igbo

Appliqued fabric, cloth, thread
Mid 20th century
Height: 51 in; Armspan: 43.5 in; Waist width: 17 in; Neck opening: 16 in
Other – Regalia – Body Suit

The Igbo people are a meta-ethnicity native to the present-day south-central and southeastern Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea. They form the second largest tribal group, next to Yoruba, in West Africa. They have a rich masking tradition based on their traditional religion, Odinani, and on their  initiation rituals into secret societies. The Agbogho Mmuo, or Maiden Spirit (female ancestor) is represented by a regalia consisting of a beautiful exaggerated female headdress (also seen in this collection) and a colorful appliqued bodysuit seen here.  This complete regalia is worn by men and danced during the dry season as part of agricultural rituals, as well as during funerals of prominent members of the masking secret society.

This one piece embroidered dance costume features a quilted rising sun design. The design is oriented with horizontal stripes in many colors, matching the many colors used for the sun pattern. At the waist, a section of triangular/zig-zag embroidery signals a change in the pattern, with the bottom half of the sun rather than the top half embroidered on the legs/lower half of the outfit beyond this point. Some but not all suns feature a yellow and multicolored patterned center with a secondary color filling in the sun’s rays against a black background. Prominent colors used are yellow, gold, green, blue, red, orange, and white, in varying shades. A sun with green rays trimmed in white on one side (likely the front) also features a signature or name embroidered in orange, which reads “Aodo.” Both front and back are decorated the same otherwise. Neck hole is very wide to accommodate stepping into to wear, and sleeves are finished in a raffia fabric that matches a large section at the bottom of each leg which is decorated with thin stripes of black embroidery.

The Igbo people generally reside in southeastern Nigeria, which is commonly referred to as Igboland. From oral tradition and analysis of cultural traits and linguistic patterns, the Igbo people are descendants of people from the Sudan and Bantu-speaking peoples from Central and East Africa. While many Igbo members are primarily Christian, specifically Roman Catholic, some Igbo people also adhere to traditional tribal religious beliefs. While the citizens of Nigeria now must abide by federal and state laws, in the traditional government and politics, some Igbo groups have a king called an ‘Obi.’ Traditional Igbo governments were similar to a democratic-republican system, as some groups were ruled by a council of elders, while others were ruled by an assembly of citizens.