Master Hand: Individuality and Creativity among Yoruba Sculptors | Explore & Learn

Two Excerpts from the film Efe/Gelede Ceremonies among the Western Yoruba

The sculptor Falola Edun completing
work on the Gelede Mask. June 1971.
Š1997 Henry John Drewal.

The Gelede Mask being danced. June 1971.

Š1997 Henry John Drewal.

These video excerpts are from the film Efe/Gelede Ceremonies among the Western Yoruba by Henry John Drewal made in the town of Idahin in June 1971. On that occasion, the Metropolitan's Gelede mask was documented in two distinct creative contexts. In the first, the sculptor Falola Edun completes the lateral hinged extensions for this mask and for an identical one, both originally carved by his father, Fagbite Asamu. In the second, this pair of masks appears in performance as the Gelede festival concludes at dusk.

Gelede performance
Gelede performance has been described as "the ultimate spectacle." A multimedia sensorial feast composed of a sequence of dances, it is inaugurated by a series of nighttime performances and rituals known as Efe. On the afternoon of a Gelede performance, a succession of masquerades unfolds in the order of the performers' seniority. The setting of the dance arena is the marketplace, a major gathering spot for the community at large. The market is also the site of social and economic activity controlled by women, who attain wealth and independence as professional traders in Yoruba society. In each of the dance segments, male dancers proceed across this arena toward the drummers at the opposite end. Twin dancers, in identical masks and costumes, refer to the extent of women's control over life, which allows them to bring two identical beings into the world.

In performance, the mask is painted and integrated into an extensive costume that may incorporate other sculptural elements, which convey the anatomy of an idealized female figure. These include carved breast and stomach plates and back plates with babies. Layers of textiles further heighten the figure's grandeur and add another kinetic dimension to the ensemble.