Egungun, or "powers concealed," refers both to the nature of the masked dance and to the spiritual power of the ancestors it honors. Over time an egungun mask is built up with layer upon layer of local and imported cloth. Its many panels celebrate the wealth and status of all family members, living or dead. During a performance individual cloth strips fan out in every direction with each dip and turn of the dancer. No matter how intense these movements become, the dancer's body is never revealed. The dancer is able to see through the mesh front panel.
Description:
Horizontal wood plank covered with cloth onto which is suspended a variety of long and pieced cloth panels of various lengths. Some of the panels are edged with serrated felt or plastic strips. Blue and white handwoven striped cloth forms the inner most layer and the outer layers consist of imported factory print cloth and velvets.
Provenance:
Craft Caravan, New York, ca. 1998
Exhibition History:
African Mosaic: Celebrating a Decade of Collecting, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 19, 2010-November 13, 2013
Published References:
Summour, Rebecca and Odile Madden. 2016. "Exploring Origins: The Technical Analysis of Two Yoruba Masquerade Costumes at the National Museum of African Art." The Textile Society of America’s 15th Biennial Symposium Preprints, Crosscurrents: Land, Labor and the Port. Savannah, GA.
Content Statement:
As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
Image Requests:
High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
