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HOME :
African & Tribal Art :
African Collection/ HK : Yoruba Egungun Colonial Polychrome Headdress
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Yoruba Egungun Colonial Polychrome Headdress - LSO.234
Origin: Nigeria
Circa: 1900
AD
to 1920
AD
Dimensions:
9.5" (24.1cm) high
x 8" (20.3cm) wide
Collection: African
Additional Information: Hong Kong
£4,000.00
Location: Great Britain
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| Description |
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This striking mask is made by the Yoruba, and was
used in their masquerade ceremonies designed to
placate Egungun – the collective spirit of Yoruba
ancestors. The tribe live in Central Nigeria, and are
originally descended from a Hausa migration from
the northeast in about 900 AD. The Yoruba have an
exceptionally rich and diverse mythology, history and
religious context, all of which are directly linked to
their artistic output. As a result they decorate secular
materials with ornately-carved figurative and
geometric designs, and also make paraphernalia
linked to their religious and spiritual beliefs. This
grouped heritage is known as the Itan.
The current piece is an Egungun mask, and would
originally have been worn on top of the head, and
attached to a long costume that would have covered
the masquerader from head to toe. Egungun (lit.
“power concealed”) is one of the Orisas (spirits) that
are involved in Yoruba ancestor worship, and the
number of Egunguns reflects the history of tribal
subgroups throughout the Yoruba range. The dances
take place during a festival known as the Odun
Egungun (although domestic worship is also known)
under the authority of trained priests who dance,
then enter a trance state to spiritually cleanse the
community. They tend to mime the morally
questionable behaviour of current members of the
village, implying that the ancestors are aware and
disapproving of such antics. The assumption is that
their descendants will be suitably humbled by this
and cease their misdeeds. The tradition has a long
history and seems to have grown out of the Oyo
Yoruba’s appropriation of a masking tradition
originally pertaining to the Nupe, which was then
amended somewhat to emphasise its ancestor
worship aspects.
There are numerous variants of Egungun masks, all
of which generally refer to the Yoruba people but
also to subdivisions of the tribe, as well as village
history, family history and even personal history of
the carver. The current piece depicts the torso of a
voluptuous woman as the central figure, flanked by
two children who are probably meant to represent
twins (a major element in Yoruba society). They are
joined together by struts, and sit atop a block of
wood pierced around the perimeter to accept the
cordage needed to attach the fabric element of the
costume. All three figures are painted in dark brown
pigment, with contrasts provided by the white
pigment trapped in the deeply incised scarifications
in their faces (triple and single parallel lines) and
torsos (boxed crosses). The twins’ hair is indicated
by incised marks, but only on the exterior aspect,
presumably as that would be the only part of the
mask seen when dancing. The female’s hair is
indicated with ridges decorated with fishbone
hatching, which has been almost obscured by the
application of Reckitts blue – a colonial period
laundry dye that was prized by Yoruban craftsmen.
The face is comparatively simple, with a broad nose,
bulbous eyes and a slightly bemused expression.
The ears are small and triangular. The twin to the
figure’s right is more firmly carved than the other,
with a high crested coiffure and definite features.
The surface of the mask is glossy with use and
handling wear. This is an interesting piece of Yoruban
magical paraphernalia, and an attractive work of art
in its own right.
- (LSO.234)
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