egungun mask

unrecorded Oyo artist, artist

egungun mask, late 1950s

Where object was made: South Oyo ?, Nigeria

Material/technique: dyeing; leather; carving; yarn; staining; cloth; velvet; paint; embossing; cowrie shell; wood; metal; embroidering; weaving

Dimensions:
Object Height/Diameter (Height x Diameter): 188 x 51 cm height includes pants
Object Height/Diameter (Height x Diameter): 74 x 20 1/16 in

Credit line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. H. Kenneth Palmer

Accession number: 2007.3167

Not on display

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Label texts

Spencer Museum of Art Highlights

Yoruba egungun masks are worn by men during masquerades that honor the ancestors of the wearer. In many museums, masks are often stripped of their costumes, leaving behind only the carved wooden sculpture at the top. However, the many elaborate layers of cloth on the egungun are central to understanding how the mask would have functioned in Yoruba masquerades. Social prestige and wealth are often communicated through clothing in Yoruba society, so the egungun masks are covered with strips of expensive fabric in a multitude of colors and textures to convey the importance of the ancestor’s lineage.

Because the egungun masks are worn year after year, layers of cloth accumulate each time it is used. The layers of cloth also create dynamic movement when a dancer performs. The twirling cloth creates a breeze that bestows blessings of the honored ancestors on spectators. Accompanied by numerous musicians and women singing the oriki, or “praises of the ancestors,” the performance of the egungun masquerade is a large community event that unites people in celebration

Race, Gender, and the "Decorative" in 20th-Century African Art: Reimagining Boundaries

In Yoruba culture, the annual egungun masquerade invokes spiritual incarnations of familial ancestors, including Yoruba Muslims, practitioners of traditional Yoruba religion, and those who practiced elements of both (religious pluralism). Upon donning the mask, the male wearer becomes the physical embodiment of the ancestors. Through the presence of the egungun, the ancestors restore balance and order to the community and assign penalties for minor transgressions. Often accompanied by drummers, the masqueraders move freely through town, participate in organized ceremonies, and dance so that the cloth strips of their costumes swirl like a fan.
Through fabric and design choices, the male family members who made this mask invoked particular ancestors. The artists prominently incorporated an Islamic prayer mat, perhaps to recall an ancestor who practiced Islam and Yoruba traditional religion.

Google Art Project

Roots and Journeys: Encountering Global Arts and Cultures

Since the egungun masks are worn year after year, layers of cloth accumulate each time it is used. The layers of cloth also create dynamic movement when a dancer performs. The twirling cloth creates a breeze that bestows blessings of the honored ancestors on spectators. Accompanied by numerous musicians and women singing the oriki, or “praises of the ancestors,” the performance of the egungun masquerade is a large community event that unites people in celebration.

Exhibition Label:
"Roots and Journeys: Encountering Global Arts and Cultures," Jul-2011, Nancy Mahaney
Yoruba egungun masks are worn by men during masquerades that honor the ancestors of the wearer. In many museums, masks are often stripped of their costumes, leaving behind only the carved wooden sculpture at the top. However, the many elaborate layers of cloth on the egungun are central to understanding how the mask would have functioned in Yoruba masquerades. Social prestige and wealth are often communicated through clothing in Yoruba society, so the egungun masks are covered with strips of expensive fabric in a multitude of colors and textures to convey the importance of the ancestor’s lineage.

Exhibition Label:
"For Life's Sake: Arts from Africa," Oct-1983, Reinhild Kauenhoven Janzen
This mask, complete with its elaborate and voluminous costume, was danced in a masking society called "Egungun," for ritual and entertainment purposes. The carved headdress is worn on top of the dancer's head so that he can see through the face netting and yet remain completely disguised to the viewers. The exaggerated bulging eyes are intended to imbue the mask with extraordinary sight. The horn-like projection at the top signifies the presence of powerful substances that bestow supernatural powers. The chipped pointed teeth are an old fashion among the Yoruba as are the facial markings. The cloth ring around the headdress may be filled with "medicines" and the tin trinkets attached to the face netting are signs of prestige. (Henry Drewal)