Skin-covered fetish female head
- Made:
- before 1920 in Africa
West African skin-covered fetish female head. Used in secret societies devoted to the worship of ancestors and the spirit of fertility. Has social and political functions, which vary from tribe to tribe. Worn on top of the head, with fibre veil attached. Used in dances in lieu of fresh skulls. The skin used is generally of goat or antelope.
Details
- Category:
- Ethnography and Folk Medicine
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A32577
- Materials:
- head, skin, coiffure, wood, eyes, zinc and teeth, bone
- type:
- head fetishes and human remains
- credit:
- Wellcome Trust
