Headdress (Egungun or Gelede)

This helmet imitates a hairstyle popular among Yoruba girls and young women, agogo, defined by tight braids along the sides of the head and a rising symmetrical crest at the center. Male and female priests occasionally wear the hairstyle, and it has also been incorporated into headdresses such as this one, for performances celebrating a specific orisa (deity), such as Sango, associated with thunderstorms and social justice, or during festivals centered around female elders, Gelede, or the ancestors, Egungun.