This Gelede mask has been vetted as authentic, made for tribal use.
Gelede, a male association, uses the aesthetic power of sculpture, costume, song and dance to placate and please women, who have special spiritual power. Often with elaborate superstructures, the headdresses appear as identical pairs in the dances.
There are two stable cracks on the mask. One is in between the right figure and the face; the other in on the back of the head behind the right figure. (see last two photos.)
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