- From Aina Abdulkabir Oyebola
Religion is a major aspect of the Yoruba culture. This is a culture that contains a huge pantheon of the gods and goddesses each with a different mythology and purpose. Many Yoruba deities are connected to the natural forces that command and create life. They are seen not only in religious worship, but in the daily lives and activities of the Yoruba people.
To a Yoruba person, knowing the mythology of deities is as important as learning the history of his ancestors. The deities are in fact the ancestors of all humankind. The deep connection plays a tremendous role in the relationship between deities and mankind. Women are believed to be the source of creation who always looked to deities (primary female deities) for assistance in their survival and for the welfare of the community. There are constant celebrations and festival that reminds and teaches the Yoruba people of their rich tradition. An example of such a festival is the “Gelede”.
Women are the agent of reproduction of life, first teacher, sustainer and maintainer of the homes, the peach maker, and the symbol of beauty and major moulder of the character of the child. By their sheer psychological and intellectual make up, they do more than mere complementary roles in the production process (Jeminiwa 1995).
This concept of “motherhood” is fundamentally important in Yoruba society, because without “our mothers” the Yoruba community would not exist in the world. Also, because of their ability to give birth, it is believed that women know the secret of life, therefore possessing the power to bring life into the world, and also could take it out. This is the female form of “Ase”, which is “the power to bring things that appeals to and uses power of the gods. The more “Ase” an individual has, the more powerful that individual is.
This incredible power demands a great amount of respect, and Yoruba diviners and herbalists usually seek the blessings of the “mothers” because without their support, the diviners will not be successful in their endevours, for the power of the mothers is even stronger than those of the gods, except for IFA. Mothers have the ability to control the power of the gods and prevent them from doing well in the society. The Gelede masquerade are a manifestation of respect and honour for the power of the women, essentially paying tribute to the power of women so that the mystical powers are still in existence today and are vital part of the preservations of the Yoruba culture.
One of the largest annual festivals among the Yoruba people of Nigeria is the Gelede festival. It involves several aspects of the Yoruba culture and suggests the importance of the religion. In Yoruba view, this power is latent in all women, although only those initiated into the cult of the ‘great mother’ can exercise it. Those initiated are popularly known as “aje” or witches. However, unlike the misconception of the witch as a personification of the devil, the “aje” can easily be influenced to use her mystical powers towards the wellbeing rather than destruction of the society. One of the most potent means of influencing her is the masquerade of Gelede (B. Lawal).
The world of Gelede is essentially in Yoruba Southwest Nigeria comprising of Awori, Egbado, Egba and neighbouring settlements like Igboora and Ibarapa. In Benin republic, we have Ketu, Ohori and Anogo. Gelede originated from Ketu. Ketu is a town presently located in Benin republic. A senior member of the cult in Anogo village of Agosasa was reported that “the witches founded Gelede at Ketu”.
To corroborate the narrative, the head of the Ketu Gelede house is in Lagos “in all the Yoruba settlements, you mostly find the witches in Ketu; so it is from there that all of them spread to other areas such as Awori, Egbado and Anogo”. Ogundipe of Ogidigbo quarters of Ketu said in August 1965 that “gelede is from Ilobi in ketu and the man that brought the cult is called Oga Abiodun”.
Kenneth Murray 1946, in one of his research endeavours, recorded that; the history of the cult remains unwritten; there was Gelede dance in Lagos before 1864. A gelede cult member at Ipokia of Egbado testified that in 1965 that their ancestors had danced gelede for at least seven generations, in theory since 1755.
The word Gelede is a Yoruba acronym with a deep meaning. With “Ge” meaning to sooth, placate or to coddle, “ele” meaning a woman’s private part, and “de” to soften with care and gentleness. The purpose of Gelede dance therefore is to placate the witches. This is what one of the Gelede has to say:
“……Gelede is the secret of women, the witches they say can kill in the dark and there is no protection against their power because the gods has given them permission to kill and confess. Thus the gods does not mind them killing, for every man who dies, he can make a replacement. (Beier 1958) reported that a dancer once said; I already had three children, there is no reason why I could not die tomorrow but being a member of the Gelede society, the witches have spared me.
Gelede masking society performs in a variety of social and religious context to mark important events or to enlist the aid of deities in the time of crisis. Its ultimate goal is to promote peace and happiness on earth. To this end, of its ritual and artistic activity towards the society directs much of its ritual and artistic activity towards the pacification of the material principle in nature personified as ‘Iya nla’, ‘iya wa’ a group that includes female ancestors and deities as well as the elderly women of the community, and the power these women have in the society. Focusing not only on fertility and motherhood but also on correct social behavior within the Yoruba society. (Lawal Babatunde, 1996).
Procession of Gelede Festival
The commencement of the festival starts with the priest who informs the community on the timing and location for the festival. The messengers are sent to drummers, singers and masker. Family members return home from their ventures since the festival serves as an opportunity to regroup and enjoy community culture. Skilled craftsmen are consulted to prepare masks and costumes mostly in a secluded location away from the praying eyes of non-members. Old mask is refurbished and new ones are carved. Retainers who accompany the dancers as well as other musical materials are made available to direct the tempo and duration of the masquerade performance.
The Masquerade Dance
A typical Gelede performance has two parts created by singers, dancers, carriers, drummers and spectators. It appeals to the senses through array of music, songs, sights and kinetic. The first part of the performance is (EFE) night of songs. EFE masquerade must be a male as it is believed that only a man has the courage to single out individuals in the crowd of humanity and tell the truth. The undulating melodies of his song are made visible in the sweeping, curving and spiralling movement of his arms and in the complex circular form of his masks. As he moves through the darkness, appearing and disappearing, his words are clear and loud. The total illusion is both mystical and immediate, just as the song themselves deal with both spiritual power and human society. EFE masquerade prays for the blessing of IYA NLA, the Orisa, deceased ancestors and the powerful women in the society.
Market is believed not only to be the centre of economic and social activities, also a place where spirits appears and interacts with mortals. Strangers that visit the market during Gelede festival are believed to be spirit that responded to the communication of the spectacles. Thus Gelede spectacle is held in the market as it brings the celebration of women to their domain.
The afternoon session began by beating a three cylindrical peg drum at the side of the market welcoming elders mostly women from different quarters, guests and other visitors. Groups of masquerade, including children, teenagers and adults clad in layers of multicoloured clothes made of head ties, skirts and other outfits donated by members of the society. The costumes emphasize full breasts, narrow waists and buttocks of beautiful and graceful women. Each successive group entered the market from the direction of their quarters wearing aesthetics appearance with figurative headdress depicting the clan representation. The headdresses are often carved in two parts; the lower is often in the form of a human face, while the upper part shows an elaborate coiffure or a depiction of human activity.
The masquerades dance in the same sequence; wriggling at the center of the market, dancing spiritedly before the drummers, synchronizing their body movements and jingling metal anklets, evoking the virtues of collaboration and teamwork. The identity of the dancer is not hidden as his face could be seen through the transparent cloth worn over the face. Unlike many other masked performances, the dancers are allowed to unmask in the public. Dancer’s name may be given in the song which accompanies his acts, making him the subject of praise or criticism for his performance. The harmony and balance shown by good dancers symbolizes social perfection.
The dance end at sun set with the appearance of the great mother mask. All lights must be put out when the great mother dance emerges. The masks are made to look like birds with pointed peak, occasionally with red lips, small eyes and human shaped ears or hair styles. This appearance of both human and animal characteristics reflects the dual nature of the spirit of women.
Gelede imagery evokes all aspects of Yoruba society. The mask refers to a wide variety of female and male roles and activities either in object associated with such roles or in genre scenes depicting them. They also depict animals that serve as metaphor for human actions or as illustrations of a popular proverb and songs that often accompany the appearance of the mask. Such images are intended to provoke explicit reactions from the audience.
African art reflects the culture of the people and since culture and religion are two inseparable ways of life, we can then say that religion influences African art and it is for these reasons that will make indigenous or traditional art remain art of religion. Art is therefore a mediating factor within both religion and culture in Africa. The predominant bearing of rituals on art in the African milieu becomes even more glaring with the appreciation of the fact that both and religion are considered twins of the same transcendental offshoot.
