Egungun Masquerade Costume

Date

mid-20th century

Creator

The Snite Museum's striking Egungun comes from the Oyo-Yoruba region. Like all Egungun, the first layer of cloth, which laid against the masker's body is a handwoven cotton cloth with indigo and white stripes. This fabric is the same type once commonly used to shroud the dead before burial. The indigo and white mesh under the beautifully carved Oyo-style headdress assured that the masker was completely hidden when this Egungun appeared at ancestral celebrations. The different layers on the Snite Museum's Egungun are comprised of fine commercial cloth, some of which have been treated with additional dye, as well as hand-woven, and hand-dyed cloth with beautiful appliqué designs. The yellow tinge of the once what areas of the under layer and mesh face cover indicate the age and long-term use of this Egungun. from Morton, Dimensions of Power (South Bend, 2018)