Gelede mask, Afro-Brazilian Museum, São Paulo The Gẹlẹdẹ spectacle of the Yoruba is a public display by colorful masks which combines art and ritual dance to amuse, educate and inspire worship. [1]

Gelede masks, such as this one, are worn by male Yoruba dancers at festivals honoring the women of the community, living and dead, especially the powerful Great Mothers, including both the elderly women of the community and the ancestors of Yoruba society.

This type of mask is worn on top of the head, with a veil covering the dancer’s face. This Gelede mask is on display in the MOA’s newest exhibit, Death at the Crossroads: A Dramatic Reading …

Dec 13, 2021 · The Gelede takes place every year after the harvests, at important events and during drought or epidemics and is characterized by carved masks, dances and chants, sung in the Yoruba language and retracing the history and myths of the Yoruba-Nago people.

The masking tradition known as Gelede is believed to have originated among the Yoruba people of the Ketu region, in today’s Republic of Benin, sometime in the late eighteenth century. Gelede honors the spiritual powers of elderly women who are referred to …

This mask or headdress, called igi Gelede in the Yoruba language, would have been a part of Gelede, a festival in western Yoruba communities that celebrated the power of women. The performances of Gelede masquerades not only entertained, but also honored the spiritual power of women in the community, known as awon iwa ya or "our mothers".

Aug 5, 2023 · Its masks, festivals, and performances are a reflection of the deep-rooted traditions and beliefs of the Yoruba people. Understanding the historical and artistic elements of the Gelede masquerade allows us to appreciate its significance and the …

Nov 28, 2023 · Originating from the Yoruba people, nestled along the borders of southwestern Nigeria and present-day Benin (Dahomey), the Gelede mask stands as an embodiment of tradition and cultural expression. Its distinctive features speak volumes: a downward-facing gaze, subtle cheek scarification, and a rounded forehead capture

Dec 23, 2016 · The Gelede masks are used to ward off evil spirits which manifest themselves through calamities, or to solve ethnic conflicts, to moralise behaviours and to reassert important events among the community. The Gelede masks are also a way to send messages of compassion, solidarity, or insult and joke.

Nonetheless, the Gelede ceremony performs diverse functions in Yoruba society, including to pray for rain, purify the village of disease, to enlist spiritual help in wartime, and to honor the dead. This mask was culturally used, probably in the 1980s, in a Nigerian community.