Egungun dance garment

Description:	The Federal Republic of Nigeria is a country in West Africa. The three largest cultures are the Hausa-Fulani in the north, the Igbo in the southeast, and the Yoruba in the southwest. Egungun translates as masquerade in the Yoruba language. This outfit may have been used in various ceremonies, such as the annual Egungun festival (Odun Egungun, masquerade for the ancestors), family crises, the death of an elder, town misfortunes or celebrations. Different Egungun masquerades have different meanings, but all draw on the presence and power of the ancestors. Over time older and newer textiles are added to the dance garment. This body mask, dating around the 1950s, is made from women’s strip-woven cloth with imported, fancy fabric appliqué squares.
Source:	http://www.digitalindy.org/cdm/ref/collection/tcm/id/1037
Collection:	The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
Rights:	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/;
Copyright:	Creative Commons (CC By-SA 3.0);
Geography:	Nigeria
Subjects:	Nigeria Nigeria - social life and customs Yoruba (African people) Yoruba (African people) - social life and customs Nineteen fifties

Further information on this record can be found at its source.