The Gelede is indeed a spectacle of the Yoruba. It is a public display by colourful masks which combines art and ritual dance to amuse, educate and inspire worship. Gelede celebrates “Mothers” (awon iya wa), a group that includes female ancestors and deities as well as the elderly women of the community, the powerful and their spiritual capacity these women have in the society.
They can be worn during different ways: vertically covering the face; as helmets encasing the entire head; and as crest, resting upon the head, which was commonly covered as part of the disguise. African masks often represent a spirit and it is strongly believed that the spirit of the ancestors possesses the wearer.
Anthropomorphic features transform the face of a young man, expertly carved. It is a variation of the Ivorian African Mask (gentle face) representing the Baule people of Côte d’Ivoire. The personage boasts the curving horns of a ram and a beard like an elephant’s trunk. A bird-like creature with breasts perches atop the head. Such masks are used at the funeral rites of women who die during the harvest season. Sheep symbolize gentleness.