Masking Tradition in Ipara-Remo, Ogun State, Southwestern Nigeria: A study of Provenance, Forms And Costumes of some selected Masqueradesing

Abstract

Masking traditions are a prominent socio-cultural practice among the Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria. Though, the study of Yoruba masks has enjoyed the attention of several scholars, both local and foreign, and diverse views have been postulated on how they were perceived, especially in relation to their forms and functions, there has not been any on the masking tradition of Ipara-Remo in Remo division of Ogun State, a Yoruba sub group of Southwestern Nigeria. The most relevant existing work is the one on Egungun masquerades of the Remo Yoruba by Marrilyn H. Houlberg (1978), it was however not sufficiently detailed. This paper therefore presents the findings of a recent research work carried out on masking traditions in Remoland particularly in Ipara-Remo, in Ogun State, southwestern Nigeria. The paper attempts to trace the origin of some of the various existing masking traditions: their imagery/forms, costumes, function as well as the similarities noted in the various types in Ipara-Remo. Three distinct masking traditions were recognized; these are Egungun masks and masquerades, Oro masks and Agemo masks. From these three groups, twenty different masking traditions were identified and examined. Out of these twenty masking traditions, one is found to be of the Oro type, two Agemo type while the remaining seventeen are of the Egungun type. This may indicate the popularity of Egungun over Oro in Remoland. This paper also attempts a classification by provenance. It classifies Egungun masks into three types: the community owned mask and masquerades, the section/group-owned masks and masquerades and the privately-owned masks and masquerades. Finally, the costumes, carved imagery, and the forms and functions of each of the masks are also discussed against the background of their socio-cultural significance in Ipara-Remo.