From the watery Delta region of eastern Nigeria, this mask was probably made to celebrate the power of Mami Wata (Pidgin English for “Mother of Water”). Devotion to Mami Wata takes different forms in different places. Some of her common appearancess are as a mermaid, a woman with a snake around her shoulders, a Hindu deity, and a Westernized African woman combing her hair and looking at herself in a mirror. She has been portrayed as a destructive seductress or temptress—a femme fatale—while at other times she is attributed with extraordinary healing powers. Mami Wata is also often personified as a woman of extraordinary beauty, as in this mask. In keeping with her love of jewelry, Mami Wata is presented here wearing a necklace with a heart-shaped locket.