Ibo Instrumental

Fern Teather and Sam Thurlow imagine the music that might have accompanied the dances and performances at which this Ibo maiden spirit mask might have been worn at the turn of the 20th century. The carved wooden mask was made around a hundred years ago by the Ibo people of Nigeria, and is now in the collection of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. We don't know the names of the Ibo people who made it, saw it, wore it to dance, or made the music for the performance; or of the maiden spirit the mask represents. The mask also tells of the negotiation of gender roles, as the mask was worn by a male dancer to evoke a feminine ideal. Fern writes, "This submission is a piece of African-style music played by percussionist Sam Thurlow using instruments common to Nigeria, where the Ibo Maiden Spirit Mask was found. The featured drum in the piece originates from the Ibo culture like the mask, and is often simply called an Ibo drum. However, its traditional name is an Udu. The instrument creates a unique bass sound that some believe to be the voices of Ibo ancestors. I was drawn to this object because I had heard Sam playing the Ibo drum, and was intrigued by the maiden spirit mask from the same culture. Our aim was to create a piece of music that could help people imagine the sorts of festivities the mask might have been worn at. We listened to traditional Nigerian dance music used in Ibo celebrations, and have attempted to create something in the same style specifically for this exhibit. " This track is part of the Museum Remix: Unheard project. Find out more at www.museums.cam.ac.uk/museumremix You can find out more about the mask at: https://www.museums.cam.ac.uk/magic/ibo-maiden-spirit-mask