The Igbo of southeast Nigeria are one of the many West African peoples that hold numerous masked performances each year to honor ancestors, insure bountiful crops, teach moral lessons, and entertain audiences at festivals. Maskers, often referred to as mmanwu, also perform special rituals at ceremonies and rites of passage. Prior to the early 1900s, mmanwu played important judicial and policing roles in Igbo society. Masquerades typically occur outside during the dry season when harvest celebrations take place.  This mask has a strikingly naturalistic face accentuated by kaolin pigment. The series of holes around the edge of the mask would have allowed it to be connected to the fabric costume worn during the ceremonies.