English: Mask, Bamum peoples, Grassfields region, Pa Nje village, Cameroon, Late 19th to early 20th century, Wood, horns, plant fiber, spider silk

This crest mask is power personified. Ground spiders are used in divination practices in the Cameroon Grassfields region as a way of gaining access to divine knowledge. The eyes of this mask are covered with silk taken from spider egg sacs or the lining of the nest of the ground-dwelling tarantula. The top of the head is carved to represent a prestige cap worn by men of high status. Horns symbolize the power of the animal and are used throughout Africa as containers for materials associated with hunting, magic, divination and curing.

(National Museum of African Art)