Crest Mask – Wood – Batcham – Cameroon

Beautiful Batcham mask from Cameroon.
The Batcham Mask, or simply ‘Batcham’, comes from Western Cameroon.
It is considered the most well-known mask of Cameroon.
It depicts the head of a ‘dzetshe’ hippopotamus emerging from the waters.
In most of the villages where the use of this mask has been recorded, it represents power and a position in the traditional social hierarchy; it belongs to the Nsop, Kah and Troh societies.
These are mostly secret societies that use this mask in an exceptional way to celebrate the induction of a new king or the funerals of prominent figures.