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File:Edo mask.jpg

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English: Mask, Benin kingdom court style, Edo peoples, Nigeria, 18th century, Copper alloy, iron

This mask is worn during the Ododua masking ceremony that protects the king and commemorates the founding of the Benin kingdom. It is similar in form and shares iconography with other masks of this type. The cone shape relates to a special fiber cap worn by certain priests, chiefs and the king. The deadly snakes and crocodiles refer to dangerous spiritual forces that are controlled by herbalist-diviner specialists and the king. Unique to this mask are the small fish seen in relief under the lips and on the sides of the mask. They represent fish used as sacrificial offerings to the "gods of the Benin nation" at a palace shrine.

(National Museum of African Art)
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Source Flickr
Author cliff1066
w:en:Creative Commons
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This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
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This image, originally posted to Flickr, was reviewed on 28 October 2008 by the administrator or reviewer SterkeBak, who confirmed that it was available on Flickr under the stated license on that date.

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current06:53, 27 October 2008Thumbnail for version as of 06:53, 27 October 2008853 × 1,280 (249 KB)Ji-Elle (talk | contribs){{Information |Description={{en|1=Mask, Benin kingdom court style, Edo peoples, Nigeria, 18th century, Copper alloy, iron This mask is worn during the Ododua masking ceremony that protects the king and commemorates the founding of the Benin kingdom. It i

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