Egungun is a part of the Yoruba pantheon of divinities. In the indeginous religious system of the West African tribe of that name, the spirit is of central importance. It is the eventual end of all living beings, and as such is regarded as the ancestral "collective".
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Amongst the Yoruba, the annual ceremonies in honour of the dead serve as a means of assuring their ancestors a place among the living. In return, it is seen as the responsibility of the said ancestors to compel the living to uphold the ethical standards of the past generations of their clan, town or family. The Egungun is celebrated in festivals, known as Odun Egungun, and in family ritual through the masquerade custom. In family situations, a family elder known either formally or informally as Alagba presides over ancestral rites and may or may not be initiated into the local Egungun society. On the other hand, in matters that deal with whole communities, Egungun priests and initiates that are trained in ancestral communication, ancestral elevation work and funerary rites are placed in charge of invoking and bringing out the ancestors. Elaborate costumes adorn the Egungun masqueraders, and through drumming and dance, these robed performers are believed to become possessed of the spirits of the ancestors as maifested as a single entity. The Egungun then spiritually clean the community and through exaggerated acting and miming, demonstrate both ethical and amoral behavior that occurred since their last visit, exposing the strengths and weaknesses of the community with the hope of encouraging behavior more befitting of their descendants. Once this is done, messages, warnings and blessings are doled out by them to the assembled spectators. Important Egungun include the Oloolu and Alapansanpa, both of Ibadanland. Elewe of the Ìgbómìnà Yoruba clan, which is common in the towns of Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún, Ìlá Òràngún, and Arandun, is also of particular prominence.
In Brazil, the main cult of the Egungun is found on the Island of Itaparica, in the State of Bahia, though houses of worship dedicated to the spirit exist in other states.
An Egungun masquerade performance at the palace of HRM The Alafin, Oyo, Oyo State, Nigeria, this being video footage that was filmed in August, 1999: Egungun Energized to Dance
– Egun/Egungun
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