File:Brooklyn Museum 87.215 Maiden Spirit Helmet Mask Agbogho Mmwo (5).jpg

English: Helmet mask with long narrow face, painted white; narrow protruding sharp nose; slit eyes; open mouth showing teeth; small ears. Arching eyebrows, sides of nose, lips, and rectangular ridged decorarions in center of forehead and in front of each ear are all painted brown. Linear and spiral carving on helmet portion of headdress, also painted brown. Above this is an elaborate openwork construction in brown and white, with a tall central ridge surmounted by discs and cup-like projections, flanked by a double-volute and fretwork form on eac side. The double-volute forms are decorated with incised triangles. CONDITION: A series of small holes borders the face and helmet portion, some remnants of string are threaded through them. Sticky black pieces of tape inside the mask, in back of eyes, mouth, especially at edges. Some areas of possible insect damage. Marks of water damage on forehead.

English: Agbogho mmwo, or "maiden spirit," masks are worn by men at festivals that honor important deities. They represent the Igbo ideal of female beauty: small, balanced features, elaborate hairstyles, and delicate tattoos. The men who dance agbogho mmwo masks wear colorful, tight-fitting fiber costumes, entertaining the crowd with exaggerated versions of women's dances.