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Okpella Edo (Nigeria) Lawrence Ajanaku Ancient Mother (Odogo) Masquerade Cotton Cloth Applique 1970s Private Collection |
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"No one learns from anyone else how to do it. It is something we are born with. It is the kind of knowledge that remains in the center of our being…" (Lawrence Ajanaku, 1973) Ajanaku did not learn to create cloth appliqué masquerade costumes by practice, by textbook, or by instruction. He learned by combining observation with what he believes to be his "inborn talent." Beginning in the late 1940s, Ajanaku began practicing the craft of cloth appliqué masquerade costumes. He believes it to be his duty to continue with this artistic tradition begun by his great-great grandfather. Active in the 1970’s, Ajanaku was one of the great master’s of his trade, an atsona (roughly translated as "an artist"). He was working for a select group of communities, generally spending a year on each set of masquerade costumes. The masquerade (okakagbe) in which this mask is worn is typically composed of five dancers, each playing a different character. These characters, representing spirits, are defined by their elaborate, varied, and anthropomorphic costumes. One of those characters is the Ancient Mother (odogo), signified by a headdress with many small figures similar to the one shown here. Her costume symbolizes her life-giving role in the community, which parallels the powerful role of the elders in Edo society. The other characters in the masquerade also have specific roles and distinct functions. All of the costumes are bold, bright, geometric, and bedecked in complimentary colors suggestive of a more spiritual realm. To witness these dancers twirl and leap in all their showy adornment is truly captivating. By anthropomorphizing these spirits, the Edo masqueraders are suggesting a strong relationship between humans and spirits. Sasha Weigel ’03
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