Headdress (Ago Egungun)
Yoruba
Mid–late 19th century
Medium
Wood and pigment
Dimensions
33.1 × 23.2 × 23.5 cm (13 × 9 1/8 × 9 1/4 in.)
Classification
headdress
Department
Arts of Africa
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
31581
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Egungun, a widespread Yoruba masquerade, is staged to honor the ancestors and the newly deceased, who continue to influence the lives of their kin. Organized at funerals, on family occasions, and during annual or biennial festivals, the different types of egungun are each associated with a distinctive cloth costume, some of which include a wooden mask or headdress. The tufted hairstyle of this example mimics the flap of a hunter’s cap that hides protective medicines.