Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
During the Odo celebration, it is said that the appearance of this masquerade allows the dead to openly interact with the living. Ijele; The Ijele masquerade, which originated in the Old Anambra state, is the largest mask ritual in recorded history. 45 different masquerades have previously performed on top of Ijele, the King of All Masquerades ...
The word "Mmanwu" in Igbo means "spirits of the dead". [1] It is the combination of two Igbo words "mmuo" or "maa" which means spirit and "onwu" which means death. [2] This refers to the purpose behind Mmanwu which is to create physical representations of spirits and ancestors through the adornment of the masks.
Ijele Masquerade, known as the biggest Masquerade in Sub-Saharan Africa, is a tradition of the Igbo people of Nigeria and was listed in the UNESCO Archives as an intangible cultural element in need of urgent safeguarding [1]. In many communities in the state of Anambra in South-Eastern Nigeria, celebrations, burial ceremonies and other special ...
Based on an Igbo legend, masquerades were first introduced to the town of Arondizuogu by Okoye Nwaobi or Okoye Mmonwu ("Okoye the Masquerade"), a villager who employed masked figures to scare away his opponent during a land dispute. [5] Alex Asigbo argued that masquerade cults were developed by male elders as a form of social control.
The performances showcase an ideal image of an Igbo maiden. This ideal is made up by the smallness of a young girl's features and the whiteness of her complexion, which is an indication that the mask is a spirit.
The Ikeji festival is an annual four-day festival held by the Igbo people of Arondizuogu, [1] in Imo state, Nigeria, between the months of March and April to celebrate the harvest of new yams and the Igbo culture. It is arguably the largest masquerade parade in West Africa.
Female figure from Oke-Onigbin, Shango shrine. The Ìgbómìnà are renowned merchants well known for long distance trading which account for their wide spread across Yoruba land, they engage in other traditional occupation such as agriculture and hunting, as well as their woodcarving, leather art, and the famous Elewe masquerade.
The Ohuhu clan of Umuahia north in Abia State Nigeria of the Igbo people, also referred to as Ohonhaw, form a unique community of people in Umuahia, Abia state, Nigeria, consisting of several Autonomous Communities including Umukabia,Ohiya, Isingwu, Ofeme, Afugiri, Nkwoegwu, Umuawa, Umudiawa, Akpahia, Umuagu, Amaogugu, Umule-Eke-Okwuru, Umuhu-Okigha, Amaogwugwu called Eziama/ Amaudo in Ohuhu ...