Many types of masks are used by the Northern Edo. Like most masks created in Africa, it represents the presence of a spirit. The intention behind an African mask is not to depict something realistic or naturalistic, as the African ideal aspires to capture the essence of the spirit represented. Therefore, abstraction and distortion are often seen. When a person wears the mask, that person takes on the entity that the mask represents, they become “one with the mask”, surrendering his body as not his own. The spirit of the mask takes up residence inside the person’s body while on earth. These masks are not considered in such lightheartedness, as a general costume might, they are held in high regard within the multiple communities of Africa.