Egungun, the masked return of the ancestors

Egungun is a spirit of Yoruba tradition.

The masquerade of the dead blesses those who pay respect to the ancestors.

SpiritYoruba

Egungun

Egungun are the embodied ancestor spirits of the Yoruba, who return to their families at the annual masquerades in elaborately layered cloth costumes. They bless their descendants, impart wisdom and pass judgement, sometimes even on kings.

The name egúngún is interpreted as the collective dead or as the veiled powers; another name, Ará Orun, describes them as the inhabitants of the spirit world. Unlike the feared spirits of the dead elsewhere in this collection, the Egungun form a venerated, benevolent ancestor cult: lived religion, not a danger.

The costumes are worn exclusively by men of initiated lineages, while women contribute to the festival with praise songs, prayers and offerings. A family elder leads the rites of the annual return.

At a glance: Egungun

Type: embodied ancestor spirits, appearing as masked dancers
Origin: Yoruba religion and its institutionalised ancestor veneration
Texts: very well documented, among others in the Ifa corpus and in art-historical research
Period: historically rooted, a living practice to this day
Appearance: masked, fully veiled dancers in elaborately layered cloth costumes

Context of tradition

Period of the Texts

The Egungun tradition is very well documented and remains a living practice to this day; the Ifa corpus also relates that women are said to have originally controlled the cult.

Area of Diffusion

Yorubaland as well as the diaspora in Brazil and Cuba, where the masquerades remain part of Afro-Atlantic religions to this day.

Sources

Very good: extensive art-historical and religious-studies research, documented among others in African Arts, alongside large museum collections such as that of the Brooklyn Museum.

Name and variants

Yoruba: The name egúngún is interpreted as the collective dead or as the veiled powers. Another name, Ará Orun, describes them as the inhabitants of the spirit world, those ancestors who come to visit from Orun.

Costume and cult

Appearance

The costume has a dual function: through the complete concealment of the wearer, the ancestor spirit is revealed. The innermost layer of indigo-white striped cloth resembles the shroud, over which lie multicoloured strips of fabric, embroidery, shells, beads and amulets with protective power. Elaborate clothing signals status and ancestral power.

Effect

Through drumming and dance, the wearers are held to be possessed by the ancestor spirits and manifest them bodily. During the whirling dance, the flying strips of cloth create a breeze of blessing. The masquerades move through the family compounds to bless or punish descendants, and cleanse the community by acting out ethical and unethical behaviour since the last visit.

Profile: Egungun

The key aspects of the ancestor cult at a glance.

Cultural Context

A central part of Yoruba religion and its ancestor veneration, anchored in the Ifa corpus and in administration by families and priests.

Associated with

Descendants, families and the community, to whom the ancestors bring blessing, wisdom and judgement during their annual return.

Depiction

Fully veiled dancers in elaborately layered, multicoloured cloth costumes with shells, beads and amulets.

Sphere of Influence

Blessing and judgement: the ancestors praise ethical conduct, rebuke misdeeds and seek a hearing even from kings.

Cult

Annual festivals with masquerades, offerings and praise songs, led by a family elder and accompanied by Ifa divination.

Comparables

The Zimbabwean Ngozi as another African ancestral and vengeful spirit, the Chinese ancestor cult in the You-hun-ye-gui, and the Igbo Ogbanje as a related West African spirit being.

Ará Orun: the inhabitants of the spirit world return home

The name egúngún is interpreted as meaning the collective dead or the veiled powers; another name, Ará Orun, calls them the inhabitants of the spirit world. The Egungun belong to the Yoruba religion and its ancestor veneration: the ancestors’ task is to hold the living to the ethical standards of past generations.

According to the Ifa corpus, women are said to have originally controlled the Egungun cult before it became the male-led masquerade known today. Ifa divination still determines which ancestor is honoured at a festival, and a family elder leads the rites, while the making of the costumes remains a communal effort of priest, tailor, herbalist and family.

From Yorubaland to Candomblé and Santería

The Egungun shape Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Caribbean religions such as Candomblé and Santería, in which the ancestor veneration of the diaspora lives on. Their costumes are widely represented in museums, including the Art Institute of Chicago and the Brooklyn Museum.

From a religious studies perspective, the Egungun are a prime example of institutionalised ancestor veneration: the dead remain a moral authority for the living, and the masquerade creates the ritual framework for the temporary return of the ancestors. Unlike the other beings in this collection, the Egungun are not a threat being but lived, positively regarded religion.

Celebration rather than warding off: the veneration of ancestors

With the Egungun, it is not about warding off but about veneration: annual festivals with masquerades, offerings and praise songs, along with divination through Ifa, which decides which ancestor is honoured. The amulet worn on the costume is regarded as a protective force of the ancestors. Smoke offerings, alongside other offerings, are also part of the veneration, and mugwort represents the medicinal herbs that the herbalist contributes to the making of the costume. The care and renewal of the costumes is a communal effort of priest, tailor, herbalist and family.

Ancestor veneration worldwide

The Egungun correspond to worldwide ancestor veneration. Comparable by name are the Chinese cared-for ancestors, who are regularly given offerings, and Japanese ancestor rites; the motif of the masked return of the dead also appears in other West African masking cultures. More closely related are the Zimbabwean Ngozi and the Chinese vengeful spirits in the You-hun-ye-gui, while the Igbo Ogbanje, as a related West African spirit being, follows a quite different motif: that of the ever-returning dying child.

Frequently asked questions about Egungun

Are Egungun dangerous spirits?

No. They are venerated ancestral spirits who bless and pass judgement; the masquerade is a lived religious practice, not a threat being.

Who may wear the mask?

Only men of initiated lineages; women contribute to the festival with songs, prayers and offerings.

What does the breeze of blessing mean?

The gust of air produced by the costume during the whirling dance is regarded as a blessing from the ancestors.

Further links

Literature (selection)

Further standard works in the bibliography.

As Yoruba ancestral spirits, Egungun embodies a living ancestor cult, whose masquerade of the dead brings not fear but blessing and wisdom to the families of the Yoruba.