A pair of masqueraders honors the spirits of departed twins, 1986.

A European couple comes out and acts in a variety of ways that, according to Yorùbá etiquette, are funny and inappropriate (such as kissing in public and writing notes to each other instead of talking), 1982. Photo: Margaret T. Drewal.

Article Egungun Mysteries 16.jpg

The Egúngún masquerade known as Ìyá Àgbà

Egúngún Àgbà type known as baba párìkòkò—literally, the “ancestral father who walks about

Egúngún Àgbà from the town of Abéòkúta (known as Erin, or elephant), 1978.

An Egúngún idán or “miracle/wonder,” a dancing mat, 1978.

Àrònì, known for his trickster nature and knowledge of healing herbal substances, is a one-armed, one-legged forest spirit, 1978.

Egúngún Àgbà with intricate decoration

The drama of a man and his three wives, all of them elegantly dressed and holding large pocketbooks, is a morality play about family life, cohesion, and harmony, 1977.

Egúngún Onídán, the “magician” or “miracle worker,” whirls, and its circular cloth flies outward

Some Egúngún combine exquisite cloth ensembles with elaborately carved headdresses, as seen in this photo from 1978. This headdress, from a hunter’s family, is distinguished by its dramatic coiffure, a long tuft of hair that descends to the left and terminates with a gourd amulet.

One type of Egúngún, called Egúngún Àgbà

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 / 19

Egúngún / Mysteries Concealed in Magical Cloth

Contributors

by Henry John Drewal

Publisher & Date

RISD Museum, 2016

Selected Objects

More Selected Objects +