Bearded male head

Vessel with Male Head

Mambila people, Western Grassfields, African

20th century

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Gold Weight in the Form of a Peanut, Asante people or, Baule people, Akan group, Ghana or, Côte d'Ivoire, African, brass
Apron also referred to as mepetu, mapoto, or liphotho; with fringe and geometric design
Crescent blade with long handle
Vessel cover dedicated to the river god, Erinle. Such vessels were used to hold "moving water" from rivers or the sea, but not from wells, Every sixteen days the water is renewed together with two stones taken from a river as symbols of Erinle. The stones are also considered analogous to embryos in the womb. Surmounted by a male figure with his arms around a bowl on a potstand, a salamander or other river animal is behind him, and ritual implements surround him.