The egúngún masquerade tradition, practiced by the Yorùbá people of West Africa and their diasporic

The egúngún masquerade tradition, practiced by the Yorùbá people of West Africa and their diasporic descendents, connects the living to their ancestors. Dressed from head to toe in this multi-layered, multi-colored garment, a dancer performs the egúngún masquerade to celebrate ancestors as well as for the ancestors—brought back temporarily through the activated costume—to bring blessings and divine knowledge to the community. Curators entered into dialogue with the Lekewọgbẹ family, who were the original owners of this egúngún. The family shared that the costume was stolen from them, and determined that it is no longer ritually empowered, ultimately giving the museum their blessing to display the work. Discussing this artwork and its story with students raises important questions about museum collections and displays, particularly of spiritually-significant objects that are removed from their communities of origin. This educator resource is designed to help students and adults to begin their conversations about egúngún traditions and masquerade in the African diaspora. Students also notice the egúngún’s many colors and layers of fabric, and see it in a whole new light when watching a video of the masquerade, a further reminder that the activation of the garment is just as significant as the garment itself. We would also draw connections to their own lives here in Brooklyn; how we remember our ancestors in our own communities and why we all rely on daily versions of masquerade, of dreaming to transform into something or someone else. Posted by Stacey Kahn, School Partnership Coordinator/Senior Museum EducatorYorùbá. Egúngún Masquerade Dance Costume (paka egúngún), ca. 1920-1948. Cotton, wool, wood, silk, synthetic textiles (including viscose rayon and acetate), indigo, and aluminum. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Sam Hilu, 1998.125. Creative Commons-BY  -- source link
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