Description

Each spring when the rains arrive, the Yoruba community conducts a cultural performance known as Gelede to honor and placate the 'mothers' through recognizing their spiritual power and immense influence over the community's well-being. The term 'mothers' refers to elderly women within the community, female deities, as well as the general qualities of womanhood and femininity. Elaborate masks are commissioned for the performance, each distinct in form and name. Generally, the subject of the mask determines its name, and thus without knowing the name, it is difficult to know the intended purpose behind a particular mask. This mask features a pale blue face, large diamond-shaped eyes, naturalistic nose and mouth, and black scarification marks. The headdress displays a five-ridged hairstyle. The hairstyles that appear on Gelede masks are often copied from real life, and usually indicate that the subject being depicted is a female, who are known for their elaborate plaiting hairstyles. This mask can either be depicting a fashionable female, or an important woman in the community. Alternatively, it could also represent a priest of the God of thunder, Shango, who are sometimes depicted having a woman's hairstyle. This mask would be worn atop the head of a performer, with a raffia or transparent cloth fitted to the rim, to both conceal the dancer's body and allow them to peer through.