In many Yoruba towns, at certain times of year, the streets fill with figures wrapped in layer upon layer of coloured cloth, spinning round and making the panels of their costumes whirl. No part of the human body is visible. These are the egungun, the masquerades that make the ancestors present in the life of the community. For those who take part it is not a show but an encounter.
What egungun means
The term is often interpreted as "bones" or "skeleton", that is, what remains of a person after death, or as "hidden power". The proposed etymologies vary, but all point to the world of the dead and their force.
In Yoruba thought the dead do not vanish: they become ancestors, continue to care about the family and its descendants, and may bless or admonish. The egungun is the way this presence becomes visible and audible.
The costume: a body made of cloth
The most recognisable element is the costume, called èkú in Yoruba. It is made of:
- layered panels of different fabrics, often precious ones: velvets, brocades, dyed cottons, imported cloth;
- a net or veil in front of the face, through which the wearer can see without being seen;
- sometimes a carved wooden head placed on top;
- ornaments such as cowrie shells, mirrors, sewn-in amulets and small bells.
The richness of the costume expresses the prestige of the family that owns it. Fabrics are added over the years, so that an old egungun literally carries the history of its lineage.
The whirl
When the egungun dances and spins quickly, the panels lift and create a vortex of colour. This movement has a precise meaning: the air stirred by the ancestor is felt as a blessing spreading among those present. At the same time, direct contact with the mask is traditionally forbidden to the uninitiated.
The egungun society
The cult is run by a male initiatory society, led by a chief who in many towns bears the title alàgbà. Only initiated men may wear the costumes; women nonetheless have important roles, for instance in songs of praise and, in some places, through specific female offices within the society.
The identity of the wearer is a secret: people do not say that "a man" is dancing, but that the ancestor has returned. Revealing it would be a grave violation.
Types of egungun
There is no single type of masquerade. Scholars distinguish various categories, which change from town to town:
| Type | Features |
|---|---|
| Ancestral egungun | Represent ancestors of specific lineages, solemn and revered |
| Judgement egungun | In the past had functions of social control and admonition |
| Entertainment egungun | Satirical characters imitating foreigners, animals or social types |
| Egungun linked to orisha | Tied especially to Shango and the town of Oyo |
Oral tradition links the development of the egungun cult above all to the kingdom of Oyo, where it had a significant political function.
The annual festival
The great appearances take place during the annual festival, which can last days or weeks. Families prepare food, drums play, the masquerades emerge from the sacred groves and visit the homes of descendants. People bring questions, requests for blessing, family concerns. The ancestor answers in an altered voice, often guttural, to stress that it is not a living person speaking.
Egungun in the diaspora
In Brazil the egungun cult survived in a specific form on the island of Itaparica, in the state of Bahia, where some houses of worship dedicated to the ancestors, called eguns, have kept up the tradition of masked appearances. It is one of the most remarkable cases of continuity between West Africa and the Americas.
In candomblé more generally, eguns are the dead, treated with respect and with a certain ritual distance from the orisha.
The meaning of return
For Studio Esoterico Cornelio the egungun masquerade is a luminous example of how a culture can work through its relationship with death not as final separation but as a relationship that continues. Cloth, dance and voice make present those who built the family, reminding the living that they are part of a chain.
In short
- Egungun are Yoruba masquerades that make the ancestors present.
- The layered cloth costume completely hides the wearer and accumulates the family's history.
- The cult is led by an initiatory society and the dancer's identity remains secret.
- Appearances culminate in the annual festival, with visits to descendants' homes.
- In Brazil the tradition survives above all on the island of Itaparica.
