Egungun, meaning "powers concealed," is a Yoruba masquerade that provides an important connection between the worlds of the living and the dead. The masquerades are performed during annual or biennial festivals honoring ancestors and at commemorative rites marking the deaths of important community members of both sexes. The power and purpose of the egungun mask can only be fully understood when it is brought to life by young men performing flamboyant ritual dances. This body mask completely covered the dancer, who could see through a mesh face panel that concealed his identity. The costume comprises multiple layers of cloth panels made of expensive imported textiles. Cowrie shells-once a form of money and still a symbol of wealth and status-adorn the face panel, suggesting that the costume was made to honor a head of state or prestigious community leader. Also adorning the face panel are a bird's beak and protective amulets.
Among the appliquéd symbols is an elephant, an ancient Yoruba emblem of power, royal and otherwise. A lion, representing valor, is depicted on the back panel, while crocodiles are featured in the central panels on either side. The presence of peacocks, which are not native to western Africa, may indicate a foreign influence.
Ancestors, I am greeting you, my friends. When I do not know which road to follow, I will turn to the wisdom of the Ancestors. May it be so.
-Yoruba invocation for greeting egungun dancers
