What are the functions of the Egungun masquerade?
The function of the Egungun Masquerade culture Ancestral protection: this involves seeking protection and support from the ancestors to ensure that peace and security overshadow the land. After a successful festival, the people are optimistic about goodness and rejoice while expecting a fruitful year ahead of them.
What is the Yoruba tribe known for?
The Yoruba have traditionally been among the most skilled and productive craftsmen of Africa. They worked at such trades as blacksmithing, weaving, leatherworking, glassmaking, and ivory and wood carving.
Who is the first king in Oyo town?
Early period (12th century–1535) Oranyan, the first oba (king) of Oyo, was succeeded by Oba Ajaka, Alaafin of Oyo. Ajaka was deposed, because he lacked Yoruba military virtue and allowed his sub-chiefs too much independence.
What was the purpose of the Egungun?
Egungun is a visible manifestation of the spirits of departed ancestors who periodically revisit the human community for remembrance, celebration, and blessings.
What is the purpose of Egungun ceremonies?
Like all masquerades, the egungun is a multimedia performance designed to honor the dead, and a wide variety of masks and costumes are used to communicate with ancestral spirits. Ceremonies do not have a standardized format.
What is Yoruba ritual?
Yoruba peoples of southwestern Nigeria conceive of rituals as journeys—sometimes actual, sometimes virtual. Performed as a parade or a procession, a pilgrimage, a masking display, or possession trance, the journey evokes the reflexive, progressive, transformative experience of ritual participation.
What do the Yorubas believe?
Followers of the Yoruba religion believe that a single omnipotent deity named Olodumare (or Olorun) rules over the universe. Olodumare is also referred to by other names, including Oluwa (Lord) and Orise (the source of all things), but has no gender.
How many country speaks Yoruba?
Yoruba is spoken in the West African countries of Nigeria, Benin Republic, and parts of Togo and Sierra Leone, therefore constituting one of the largest single languages in sub-Saharan Africa. Yoruba is also spoken in Cuba and Brazil.
Is there any female king in Nigeria?
King Ahebi Ugbabe (died 1948) was king (eze) and warrant chief of Enugu-Ezike, Nigeria. She was the only female king in colonial Nigeria. Her life’s impact is described by Nwando Achebe: “She was a ‘slave’ married to a deity, a runaway, a sex worker, a headman, a warrant chief, and ultimately a female king.