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How did Igbo Mmo masks represent deceased maidens and their mothers?

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raffia-fiber cloth — African art Raffia-fiber cloth, made by the Kuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, mid-20th century; in the Honolulu Academy of Arts.

Among the Igbo people of Northern Nigeria, the Mmo society utilizes masks to represent the spirits of deceased maidens and their mothers. These masks are characterized by their symbolism of beauty, serving as a central aesthetic and spiritual element in the masquerades performed by the society.1

The Mmo masks are part of a broader tradition of Igbo masquerades, which include various forms used for social satire, sacred rituals, and public festivals. While the Mmo masks focus on the representation of beauty, other Igbo traditions, such as the Okorosia masks of the Southern Igbo, employ a contrasting approach by pairing the maiden spirit with the elephant spirit to symbolize the duality of beauty and peacefulness versus ugliness and aggression.1