Igbo mask dancers performing during the Onwa Asaa festival, Ugwuoba village, Nigeria.
Circa: 1959
Original caption reads, "Masquerade dancers in Ibo village of Ugwuoba, between Awka and Enugu. Masked and costumed men are chosen by their villages to wear costumes and to masquerade during the annual yam festival, called 'Onwasato' in Ibo. The very colorful costumes of reds, whites and greens in stripes are called Iyolo, which means 'fine thing.' The raffia costumes are called Udo, which means 'rope.' The masked men represent various ju-jus, some good, some bad. The dancers are milling up and down the main road through the village, charging back and forth senselessly, dashing through the market area, shouting and jumping, some blowing horns hidden inside their masks. This was the first day of a four-day celebration, and was the first 'showing' of the masquerade costumes." [Master Catalogue: Literary Africa. Eliot Elisofon. 1959. K97, 1-36; K98, 1-20].
"The appearance of the moon governs the communal activities such as the commencement of farm work, festivities and ritual offerings. For example, the seventh moon (Onwa asaa) appears in August and marks the month of the thanksgiving service to the ancestors. The community in turn obtains permission to eat new yams without fear of reprisals from their ancestors. The eighth month is Onwa asato, which appears during the month of September or October. Onwa asaa refers to the month when the ritual feast of new yam is celebrated. The seventh month thus becomes the official title by which the activity is known. During this festival, the appearance of masks and the masquerading features merely mark the celebration of the feast." [Anigbo O., 1987: Commensality and Human Relationship Among the Igbo. University of Nigeria Press].
Source: Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives
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Rare photo of Igbo mask dancers
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February 18, 2019
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February 18, 2019
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