Noun. Egun (plural Egungun) A member of the Yoruba people who performs a masquerade as an ancestor.
Where is EGUN?
The Ogu people, sometimes called Egun people, are an ethnic group located majorly in Lagos and Ogun State in the South-Western part of Nigeria.
…
Ogu people.
| Egun | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| Nigeria | 393,000 |
| Languages | |
| Gun | |
What is Orisa egungun?
In Yoruba tradition, Egungun-oya is a deity of divination. “Egungun” refers to the collective spirits of the ancestral dead; the Orisha Oya is seen as the mother of the Egungun. hide.
What is the purpose of Egungun ceremonies?
Egungun Festival is a festival amongst Yoruba people, which is celebrated annually and has been passed successively down to generations. It is believed to help develop trade and commerce and generally bonds the people of Yorubaland together regardless of their religious beliefs.
Are Orishas ancestors?
Some orisha are rooted in ancestor worship; warriors, kings, and founders of cities were celebrated after death and joined the pantheon of Yoruba deities.
Are EGUN Yorubas?
According to Falola, the Egun are an ethnic subgroup of the Yoruba (n.d). They occupy southwestern Nigeria, and can be found elsewhere—in the Republic of Benin and Togo in West Africa and, as members of the African diaspora, in the American continent” (ibid.). …
What is EGUN?
Egun (plural Egungun) A member of the Yoruba people who performs a masquerade as an ancestor.
What are Egungun masks traditionally used for in Nigeria?
The egungun are masked dancers who perform at festivals and other important ritual occasions. They wear nets over their faces to prevent identification, wear long and colorful robes, and are regarded as the representatives of the ancestors.
What is the symbol of Sango deity?
His most prominent ritual symbol is the oshe, a double-headed battle-ax. Statues representing Shango often show the oshe emerging directly from the top of his head, indicating that war and the slaying of enemies are his essential attributes. The oshe is also used by Shango’s priesthood.
Where is the Egungun festival celebrated?
Celebrated in southwestern Nigeria by the Yorubas, the Egungun Festival is dedicated to the worship of ancestors. It is said that the circumstances surrounding the origin of the festival are full of mystique and based on a legendary folklore.
What is a Nigerian masquerade?
Mmanwu is a traditional masquerade of the Igbo people of Southeastern Nigeria. They are performed only by males in exclusive secret societies and involve the use of elaborate, colorful costumes that are meant to invoke ancestral spirits.
What functions do masquerades play in African communities?
They are a symbolic resurrection of the ancestors. To the Ifeku-Ibaji, Egwu (masquerade) symbolised both the ancestral shrine as well as represented the resurrected spirits of a dead elder, whose appearance and performance played a protective and regulatory role in the affairs of the living.
Who is the strongest Orisha?
Ṣàngó is viewed as the most powerful and feared of the orisha pantheon.
Who are the main orishas?
The deities, or gods, worshipped in the Cuban Yoruba Lucumí/Santería and Brazilian Candomblé and Umbanda religions are called Orishas (or Orixás in Brazil). They are all representatives of Olodumare, the Supreme Being, who placed the Orishas on Earth to help and supervise humankind.
Who is the Orisha of death?
Ọya (Yoruba: Ọya, also known as Oyá or Oiá; Yansá or Yansã; and Iansá or Iansã in Latin America) is an orisha of winds, lightning, and violent storms, death and rebirth. She is similar to the Haitian god Maman Brigitte, who is syncretised with the Catholic Saint Brigit.