Epa Society

The Yoruba of Nigeria recognize the ancestors in many ways. One structure that has been institutionalized for hundreds of years is the Epa celebration to honor the great ancestors of the Yoruba. The Epa Society is responsible for creating the masks and the occasion for the ancestral ceremony. The tradition centers on the creation of Epa helmet masks that are among the most elaborate among the Yoruba. They are monumental structures, some reaching to 5 feet and weighing 60 pounds. Because the Yoruba believe in the African philosophical system, they build the Epa out of a single block of wood from the Iroko tree.

These Epa masks are displayed on the heads of youthful athletic dancers who are able to handle the huge masks. Because the masks are huge objects used for dancing in honor of the ancestors, they must be treated with respect and honor. Epa masks are presented annually at the Epa festival. The masks are meant to help the people recall the impressive deeds of kings, soldiers, adventurers, hunters, and mothers who are praised for their great moral values and their [Page 241]valor in creating positive environments for the living. The Epa masks show a man and a woman, normally a great soldier and a great queen or priestess, iyalashe, mother power.

Almost all festivals among West Africans have an ancestral character. The idea of celebration is to honor something that is important, and nothing is more authentic for the ethnic group than the celebration of the ancestors. Every major celebration is tied to the respect and honor that the living persons are supposed to give for the ancestors (egungun). How can a society be ordered, balanced, and productive without deference to those who have created the lineage?

Often the large Epa masks, usually two, are richly decorated with examples of the deeds done by the particular ancestors. Thus, a warrior's mask would have his weapons and other accoutrements that go with his profession. A mask of a princess would have all the representations of her power, examples of harvest of grain, fruits, and vegetables representing her spiritual potency. This is the way that the people are reminded of their greatness, their traditions, and their possibilities.

The awe-inspiring Epa masks are known throughout Yoruba. The Iyalashe mask represents all the women of Ekiti and is depicted with several royal images and figures dressed in high-crested African coiffures. There is also an image of the princess or queen with a shawl over her shoulders while the left hand is free to carry out the ritual practices. In some versions, the princess or mother is in the center of a circular platform and is surrounded by drummers, horn players, messengers, and others with their children. Each dancer wears the pot-like or helmet-like masks with honor. It is called the ikoko and refers to the power that is transmitted to the dancer from the ancestral world. The face (igt) of the mask is understood as the physical world. Therefore, the dancer is carrying the entire community on his head when he is dancing the dance of the Iyalashe. The same is said for the dancer for the male figure. Nothing escapes the most precise representations in the society. Epa is, in effect, the heart of Yoruba.

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