arts finals paper

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Samanata Silwal

Dr. Jill Foltz

ARTS-1301-51003

30th October 2017

Egungun Costume Analysis Research paper (Stage 2)

The Egungun costume belongs to the Yoruba people living in the Oyo region of Nigeria,

West Africa. The community practiced a common tradition of keeping a link between the dead

and the living by appeasing the ancestral spirits with singing, dancing, drumming, pomp, and

pageantry. They practiced different ceremonies and rituals throughout the year where they paid

respect to the dead because they believed that their ancestors protected the welfare of the living

descendants.

The history of the Egungun Costume dates back in the early 14th century where the then-

King of the Oyo region introduced the worship of ancestors, known as baba (father)

(Schmahmann, Pg. 146). These practices of worship then spread to the rest of the surrounding

regions of people who made up the Yoruba.

This costume was related to the religious and annual ceremony, where the locals would

dress up in this costume in their masquerade display. The use of the word Egungun since then

has been used by the Yoruba to refer to any type of masquerade. The masquerade performances

associated with this costume were accompanied by public display, chanting and thorough and

acrobatic body movements; this was as the masked bodies becaming empty vessels for the

ancestral spirits (Thompson, Pg. 219). The name Egungun means ‘powers concealed’ and it was

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perceived as powerful tradition that it spread in the regions occupied by the modern states of

Benin and Togo.

The past African communities were organized in smaller regions where each had

different distinct traditions and cultures. The King of the Oyo Empire, being the overall leader

guided his people to this new worship; this shows the organization of the political and religious

systems in this era. Also, the Egungun Costume displays visual elements that relate to the typical

African tradition of culture. First, the design and texture of the fabric used in making this

costume use available cloth materials. There is also the use of glass beads which are ornamental

in the general African culture. Finally, the costume does not display a particular design formula,

but it uses different color tones in both the fabric, shells, wood, metal and the beans displaying a

rich cultural background.

Information about the costume design has been adequately shared. The dimensions of the

costume are: Height: 68 in. (1 m 72.72 cm) Width: 27 in. (68.58 cm) Depth: 16 1/2 in. (41.91

cm). These measurements ensure that the entire human body is covered in this costume, as this is

its intended purpose. The techniques and the material used for the outfit are wood, glass beads,

sequins, cloth (fabrics), shells, metal, and appliqué. The use of these materials shows patterns

and shapes that are associated with the Yoruba socio-economic, political and religious beliefs.

The use of the Egungun costume has been shared across many West African cultures

which adopted the ceremony and used this costume as a materialized manifestation of the

spiritual form of their ancestors. According to the Yoruba people of Benin, each of the details in

the costume serves a specific purpose, and it is important that they are designed with this

consideration. The patterns and shapes are different as families use symbols that show unity,

prestige or spiritual powers.

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The concealing of the entire human body, including the head, paradoxically symbolizes

the presence of an ancestral spirit. Therefore, this artwork is descriptive of the Yoruba people’s

beliefs that during the ceremony, the spirits are manifested in the Egungun costumes. Due to this

fact, the costume is rare and is commonly passed from generation to generation with in one

family. Secondly, the ceremony of the Egungun costume strengthens the bond of the families and

members of the community. Family members participate in the designing the costume enhancing

collaboration and participation of every family member in family matters. Lastly, the cultural

beliefs behind the costume are that every symbol or pattern has a religious or a meaningful

purpose to the community. For example, the use of bird symbols commonly symbolized the

ancestral spirits.

The costume is made of cloth fabric covered with glass beads, wood, cowrie shells,

metal, sequins, and appliqué. The technique of making this costume involves many layering and

sewing of the cloth fabric of different colors, textures, and patterns (Bartok, Pg. 16). The cloth

design is then decorated with beads, shells, metal, sequins, and appliqué to make it more

appealing, beautiful and unique. Materials and ornaments used to make this costume were very

expensive, and it would be left under the custody of the most successful family in the clan. This

shows that the costume acted as a store of cultural heritage as well as a source of prestige.

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References

Bartok, Mira. West Africa : Nigeria. Glenview, Ill: Good Year Books Scott Foresman, 1994.

Print.

Schmahmann, Brenda. Material matters : appliqués by the Weya women of Zimbabwe and

needlework by South African collectives. Johannesburg, South Africa: Witwatersrand

University Press Thorold's Africana Books distributor, 2000. Print.

Thompson, Robert F. African art in motion; icon and act in the Collection of Katherine Coryton

White. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1974. Print.