The Institution of Masking, Wall and Body Painting in Traditional Igbo Society

The art of masking and masquerading formed a known institution in Igbo society, which constitutes only males members. The institution was religious in nature thus, its influence in the maintenance of peace and order in the community. In addition, the institution was associated with law enforcement; whereby the masquerade could walk up to an individual and expose his/her secrete ills even while performing. These acts often serve as corrective measures, as nobody wants to be exposed publicly; hence its effectiveness in ensuring that traditional norms and values were kept. On the other hand, the art of wall and body painting which is known as Uli traditional painting was practised by only women in Igbo society. Apart from the mere purpose of decorating walls and female bodies for traditional ceremonies, it was also used for training of the girl child, who looks forward to womanhood in order to be part of the decorative team. These two institutions flourished during the pre-colonial era and are both gradually going into extinction. It is against this background that this paper proposes an examination of culture and leadership in pre-colonial Igbo society. It intends to show that there is a strong tie between art and leadership during the pre-colonial era, as well as x-ray the effect of civilization on traditional art institutions.