Helmet Mask (Mammy Wata)
Date: 20th century
Medium: wood, paint, plant fiber, iron and hair
Dimensions:Overall: 30 1/2 x 12 3/8 x 12 1/4 in. (77.5 x 31.4 x 31.1 cm)
Classification: Clothing, Accessories and Jewelry
Credit Line: Gift of Alan Potamkin
Object number: 2007.48.44
DescriptionMammy Wata is a new water spirit inspired by chromolithographs of a Hindu female deity seen in the shops of Indian merchants in the cities. The largely urban cult helps its devotees cope with the displacement and stress of Europeanization and city life.
