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Gelede Masquerades
In Yoruba society elderly, ancestral, and deified women are believed to control reservoirs of intense spiritual power within them. This energy may be directed toward creating new life or bringing about its destruction. Male members of the community acknowledge and honor female power and authority in masquerade performances known as Gelede.
Gelede performances are organized annually at the beginning of the agricultural season, between March and May. Gelede originated in the center of Ketu in the fourteenth century and subsequently was adopted by the communities situated along a corridor of trade in western Yorubaland. Unlike Egungun, which spread throughout Yorubaland, Gelede, like Epa and Magbo, is a more regionally focused form of expression.
Gelede celebrates motherhood through a diverse range of artistic representations that address almost every aspect of Yoruba life. Its sculptural component is a mask in the form of a human head that may be extended by a superstructure at the summit. Over the lifetime of a mask's use, from one year's performance to the next, it may be physically altered by its owners. This refurbishment may be limited to the application of new layers of paint or it may involve the more extensive alteration of adding attachments to the superstructure. Such changes, which may completely transform the subject matter of the headdress, reflect the ongoing aesthetic input of the sculptor or the changing desires of the patron.
More on Gelede headresses
Two Excerpts from the film Efe/Gelede Ceremonies among the Western Yoruba

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