Ibibio puppets |
From the book Emotions in Motion by E.A. Dagan I do not have any Ibibio puppets in my collection. The images below are for reference purposes. Click on any image to see full size version |
86. Seated puppet with articulated arms, legs, head and jaw. manipulated by rod Ibibio, Nigeria Mixed media. 68 cm Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto |
87. Puppet with articulated arms, legs and jaw, manipulated by rod Ibibio, Nigeria Mixed media -96 cm Afrika Museum. Berg en Dal, Holland/Hollands |
88. Standing figure with articulated arms (one missing) and jaw, manipulated by rod Ibibio, Nigeria Wood and nails/bois et clous, 62 cm Galerie Amrad |
89. Standing figure puppet on handle, with articulated arms (one missing) and jaw, manipulated by metal rod Ibibio, Nigeria Wood and nails/bois et clous, 69 cm Galerie Amrad |
90. Puppet head, manipulated by rod, many parts missing Ibibio?, Nigeria Painted wood57 cm Galerie Amrad |
91. Puppet head, manipulated by rod, many parts missing Ibibio?, Nigeria Painted wood, 23 cm Galerie Amrad |
Standing Female (c. 1975): Ibibio, Nigeria. Performed by the Ekon Society. This puppet epitomizes female beauty. She is young, marriageable, and is presented ceremoniously to the community after seclusion in the "fattening house." Gift of Nancy Lohman Staub. From: http://www.puppet.org/museum/permanent.shtml#ps |
http://www.luenaarts.com/additional/ibibiopuppet.htm Luena African Tribal Arts |
The images below are from the book: The Dance, Art and Ritual of Africa by Michel Huet They are of Kebe-Kebe puppet heads from the Kuyu people in the Congo but I thought it was an interesting example of how some puppet heads are used. |
Now that the traditional institutions of the clans have fallen into disuse, the old rivalries find their expression in a ritual contest, the Kyebe Kyebe. People from different villages are set opposite to each other in this dance. Each one of them must, in accordance with a rigid set of long-established traditional rules, perform a certain number of figures which are then judged on their suitability. The dancer holds by the sleeve a puppet that he moves up and down, backwards and forwards, all the while turning himself round and round in a tight circle until he falls exhausted to the ground. His movements are very rapid, but at the same time they must be smooth so that they suggest both the supple gliding of the ancestor and the whirling of a tornado. |
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A Kebe-Kebe puppet head in the collection of Piercarlo Saino, Italy |
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Examples of Ibibio dolls from the book: Isn't S/He a Doll Ibibio peoples, Nigeria Wood, pigment Taller 27cm Fowler Museum, Gift of Arnold Rubin |
Rand African Art home page African puppets main page Educational Resources page |