Among the Kuba peoples, as among most traditional African societies, the scale and duration of a funeral—from short and simple to days long and complex—is commensurate with the prominence of the deceased person during life.

Among the Yoruba, who consider twins (ijebi) special, even sacred, the frequency of giving birth to twins is exceptionally high. However, multiple births were seen as unnatural in the distant past and resulted in the practice of twin infanticide.

Among the Yoruba, who consider twins (ijebi) special, even sacred, the frequency of giving birth to twins is exceptionally high. However, multiple births were seen as unnatural in the distant past and resulted in the practice of twin infanticide.

Among the Yoruba, who consider twins (ijebi) special, even sacred, the frequency of giving birth to twins is exceptionally high. However, multiple births were seen as unnatural in the distant past and resulted in the practice of twin infanticide.

Beginning in the 18th century, ancestors of the Fang peoples migrated from the northeast into southern Cameroon, Rio Muni, and Gabon. Believing that their forebears were concerned about and could affect their well-being, Fang venerated the ancestors who were left behind.

The women's Sande, or Bundu, society, which is found in Liberia and Sierra Leone, traditionally initiated girls into womanhood by preparing them for marriage, family life, and participation in the women's sphere of community life. When they were deemed to be ready, the high-ranking teacher and society leader introduced them to the community as adult women.

This vessel depicts a highly stylized female with an elaborate hairstyle or headdress tapering into a hornlike projection, a pronounced brow, ball-shaped eyes, and a snoutlike mouth with notched lips.

Annual festivals held throughout Yorubaland incorporate masquerades that celebrate the values and social roles upon which the well-being of the towns depend. The festival, called Epa (or Elefon) in Ekiti towns, is characterized by the appearance of large-scale wooden headdresses. Epa headdresses, which are carved from a single block of wood, can be quite tall and heavy.

This figure represents a female devotee of the anjenu (nature spirits); the scarification marks on her body may signify that she was initiated into womanhood and into the worship of the anjenu.

This mask of a water spirit (bini oru) originated among the Ijo people who live along the waterways of the Niger River's inland delta. Water spirits are believed to provide entertainment on secular occasions, accompany the dead to the Afterlife, participate in purification ceremonies to sweep towns clean of polluti