The Igbo peoples of Nigeria believe that every piece of art has value, and they are known for the masks and sculpted figures of wood associated with shrine architecture. Although the earliest extant works of Igbo are date to the 10th century, most extant Igbo art was made in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Igbo, who number between seventeen and twenty million, are primarily farmers. They are not ruled by a chief or king, but rather a council of elders whose power is balanced by secret societies. The Ada of Afikpo are a subgroup of Igbo which lives near the Cross River.

Excerpt from

Roslyn A. Walker, The Arts of Africa at the Dallas Museum of Art (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2009), 302.

• University of Iowa Museum of Art, Art & Life in Africa
  Learn more about the Igbo peoples.

• University of Iowa Museum of Art, Art & Life in Africa
  Read an essay about the social context of Igbo art.

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  Read an overview of the peoples and cultures in Africa.