Dreaming of Africa

Countless rivers and tributaries snake across the Niger Delta’s swampy terrain, making travel within its 20,000 square miles of West African rain forest difficult. In 1906, a century after the British had outlawed the slave trade in what is now Nigeria and replaced it with the more lucrative business of palm oil exportation, Maj. A.G. Leonard wrote: “The country may be described as one in which Nature is at her worst. From the slime and ooze of the soil up to the devitalizing heat and humidity of the atmosphere, it leaves its mark on the people in an enervating and demoralizing influence.”

An enthralling exhibition at UCLA’s Fowler Museum of Cultural History demonstrates that Leonard was half-right: Geography and climate have profoundly affected the people of the Niger Delta, but they hardly have sapped their vitality or dampened their creativity.

Bringing together more than 125 statues, masks, headdresses, puppets and paddles, “Ways of the Rivers: Arts and Environment of the Niger Delta” nearly goes overboard to make the opposite point: This rugged region is home to a thriving variety of cultures, each of which has produced a panoply of fascinating objects.

The exhibition’s entry is flanked by a shark, a crocodile and a sawfish on the left and three fantastic beasts on the right. Ranging from 4 to 5 feet long, the stylized sea creatures on the left are actually carved wood headdresses that have been painted and adorned with circular mirrors for eyes.

Throughout the delta, the headdresses are worn in elaborate masquerades. These festivals cement social bonds by telling stories and bringing luck--not to mention loads of fun--to their communities. Most villagers associate the rivers and lagoons around their homes with wealth, fertility and trade, which their spirited performances celebrate.

In contrast, the figures on the right represent mythical forest creatures. The small ones are posts that once guarded meetinghouse entrances. The most impressive one is among the largest wood sculptures from sub-Saharan Africa, a 7-foot-tall male whose eight-faced head is surmounted by an animal that resembles a thick-legged lemur.

The figure’s two-tone paint job, bared teeth and raised fists identify him as a bush spirit from an Ijo shrine. The most populous group in the delta, the Ijo regard the forest as a perilous place. Figures like this one are believed to protect villages from enemies, disease, dangerous animals and hostile spirits.

Blocking the path between the water and forest creatures is a group of vitrines that display 11 small sculptures made of copper, brass and bronze. They’re among the show’s most mysterious works.

These vessels, bells, plaques and totems depict chameleons, mudfish, elephants and hippopotamuses. Cast in the shape of a leopard’s skull, one finely wrought example includes delicate decorative flourishes. A boldly stylized face shows the influence of Benin bronze work and Yoruba artistry, attesting to trade with inland regions.

An indescribable animal, which can be made to stand on its four stubby legs or to tip back to balance on its fat tail, is as blunt as a fireplug and infinitely more puzzling. It makes modern cartoon characters look over-designed and uninspired.

Most of these objects were taken from river spirit shrines. But experts don’t know their ultimate origins or exactly how old they are. It’s likely that one was made in Manchester, England, for trade in Nigeria. The seams where the two halves of this conical gong were joined reveal that it’s a factory copy of a more carefully crafted original.

The entryway objects are just the tip of the iceberg. Four larger galleries are jampacked with artifacts more colorful, vibrant and imaginative than these.

The next one features ivri, carved wood figures that fuse human bodies, fierce creatures and abstract forms. Among the most captivating is a slender warrior whose crotch and buttocks have become a ferocious fish, which bares its teeth in the same way the man does. Other figures ride beasts that resemble the offspring of modern tanks and ancient hellhounds. Nearly all have open maws. Compared to many, Picasso’s “Guernica” looks one-dimensional.

Atop the heads of several figures are smaller versions of themselves. They are spirit doubles, which bring fearlessness and wisdom to their owners. Ijo, Isoko and Urhobo men and women use their personal ivri to keep their assertiveness in check. War leaders, however, use larger models to increase their aggressiveness.

Pythons and crocodiles climb 6-foot-tall meetinghouse posts in the next gallery, which includes several multi-headed bush spirit figures that are more eccentric than the one in the entryway. The highlight of the room is a display of eight Urhobo shrine figures, which look as if they have just come together for an afternoon chat.

Between 2 and 5 feet tall, these simply carved sculptures are extraordinarily animated. Men and women stand alongside one another, all naked except for necklaces, bracelets, anklets, top hats, coral crowns and even more ornate headgear. All have been painted, and although their colors have faded, they still form a rainbow of sensuous tints and attractive contrasts. Originally, these figures occupied their own shrines and represented nature and ancestral spirits. Grouped together, each one’s highly stylized features soften, making them seem more approachable and human.

The fabulous masks and spectacular headdresses in the final two galleries steal the show. Like the shark, crocodile and sawfish in the entry, all were used in pantomimes and performances that evoke spirits, tell morality tales and pass legends from one generation to the next. Diverse in style, shape and subject, they are at once sophisticated and bold, playful and awesome.

Many resemble canoes carved in the shape of animals. In one made by the Ijebu-Yoruba, a tricolor umbrella emerges from the back of an abstract crocodile, providing shade for a bird, snake and lizard. A less polished but no less potent example combines the silhouette of a fish with three feeding ducks, six mirrors and a mask that gazes skyward.

Others look like abstract sleds whose strutted frameworks form decorative patterns and support faces that also gaze toward the heavens. One of the most realistic depicts a pangolin, a scaly anteater that resembles a reptile but climbs trees and gives birth like a mammal. The Egbukere Ekpeye value this animal because it defies categorization. Likewise, crocodiles are believed to facilitate communication between the human and spirit worlds because they move freely on land and in water.

The tusks and horns of forest animals are incorporated in a pair of striped masks whose spiked, swirling forms make Medusa look like Sleeping Beauty. In contrast, eight elegant Ogoni masks focus on more mundane affairs. One depicts a beautiful young woman with a hairstyle that shows she’s ready for marriage. Another portrays a man who is a member of a prestigious society. A third makes fun of foreigners. Wearing a pith helmet and squinting in the bright sunshine, this poor man has a complexion that suggests he’s ill.

Also impressive are a dozen puppets used in theatrical performances. Although they serve the same purposes as the headdresses, their small size makes them seem more playful, not quite like dolls but still whimsical. An example depicts a young Ibibio girl in her ready-to-marry finery: a belt of beads, body paint and a terrifically coifed Mohawk.

This unprecedented exhibition was organized by Martha Anderson, professor of art history at Alfred University, and Phillip M. Peek, professor of anthropology at Drew University. Not to be missed, it’s filled with enough excitement to merit a return visit--or two.

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“Ways of the Rivers,” UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural Art, UCLA, Westwood, (310) 825-4361, through Nov. 17. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Adults $5; students and children free.