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Efe headdress
Yoruba
20th century, 1950–2000
Object Place: Republic of Benin
Medium/Technique
Wood and pigment
Dimensions
Overall: 27.5 x 32 x 33.5 cm (10 13/16 x 12 5/8 x 13 3/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Geneviève McMillan in memory of Reba Stewart
Accession Number2009.2719
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsContemporary Art, Africa and Oceania
ClassificationsSculpture
This headdress from the Ketu region, representing a male warrior, and similar masks performed during efe, the nighttime portion of gelede. The turban-style head wrap identifies the masker as Muslim. The artist has carved machetes (large heavy knives), at both sides of the headdress. A crescent moon arches over the forehead, alluding to nighttime hunts, when warriors seek out and expose forces-worldly and otherworldly, positive and negative-that affect the community.
Provenance1985, sold by a Mr. Omar, Cambridge, MA, to Geneviève McMillan (b. 1922 - d. 2008), Cambridge, MA; 2008, to the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation, Cambridge; 2009, gift of the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 17, 2009)