Landmark Youth, Dec 29, 2021 AGBOWA IKOSI
Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases three YouTube videos of a masquerade called Agbo Remireke that is celebrated once in three years during December in the Nigerian town of Agbowa-Ikosi.
Information about this masquerade is also included in this post.
The Addendum to this pancocojams post includes a video of a HBCU (historically Black [United States] colleges and university) marching band because of a statement that I read that HBCU drum majors' high stepping marching style was partly influenced by Yoruba Egungun festivals.*
The content of this post is presented for cultural and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who were part of this masquerade and all those who were associated with the production of these videos. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to Landmark Youth for publishing these videos on YouTube.
-snip-
I searched for YouTube videos about Egungun masquerades after reading this quote about historically Black (United States) colleges and universities' drum majors' high stepping marching traditions: "Black historian Sterling Stuckey and music historians connect black college band showmanship to influences from 13th-century West Africa and the Egun masqueraders of the Yoruba tribe, who would play musical instruments and dance in funeral processions. Other historians point to black drill sergeants during World War I who introduced both melody and foot-stomping syncopation into their cadence counting, permanently altering the standard, Western marching call." quote from http://www.hbcusports.com/forums/threads/an-article-on-the-history-of-hbcu-marching-bands.24538/ An article on the history of HBCU marching bands, Discussion in 'The Band Board' started by PsychoJag, Dec 19, 2003.
Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-origins-of-historically-black.html for a 2016 pancocojams post entitled The Origins Of High Step Style Marching (Historically Black Colleges & Universities Marching Bands)
Landmark Youth,
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EXPLANATION OF THE YORUBA TERM "EGUNGUN"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egungun
"Egungun, (egúngún with Yorùbá language tone marks) in the
broadest sense is any Yoruba masquerade or masked, costumed figure.[1] More
specifically, it is a Yoruba masquerade for ancestor reverence, or the
ancestors themselves as a collective force. Eégún is the reduced form
(abbreviation through assimilation) of the word egúngún and has the same
meaning. [2] There is a misconception that Egun or Eegun (eégún with Yorùbá
tone marks) is the singular form, or that it represents the ancestors while
egúngún is the masquerade or the plural form. This misconception is common in
the Americas by Orisa devotees that do not speak Yorùbá language as a
vernacular.[3] Egungun is a visible manifestation of the spirits of departed
ancestors who periodically revisit the human community for remembrance,
celebration, and blessings.[4]"...
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE AGBO REMIREKE MASQUERADE AND FESTIVAL
These excerpts are given in no particular order and are numbered for referencing purposes only.
EXCERPT #1
From https://www.facebook.com/nigeriafoundation/photos/a.113230867408617/125477972850573/?type=3
..." The Agbo Remireke Festival is a significant occasion in Yoruba culture that is held every three years during the month of December"...
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EXCERPT #2
From https://cultureexplore.wordpress.com/2016/02/03/agbo-remireke-a-festival-of-unity/ Agbo Remireke-A Festival of Unity
"Agbo Remireke Festival is best described as a festival of
unity and reunion of the people of Agbowa at home and in diaspora. Although a very small community, the people
of Agbowa have a very vibrant culture and tradition which they have sustained
for several decades; I am talking about the Agbo-Remireke festival, celebrated
every three years, in honour of a water deity.
The interesting thing about the festival is that, it’s celebrated during
Christmas, even though it’s a traditional festival. The festival starts on
Christmas day, the 25th of December and ends on the 9th of January.
The festival is a unifying platform for all the religions;
Christianity, Islam and Traditional belief system. In other words, unity is placed
as a top priority as against religious affiliation for celebrating this
festival. The festival is open to all,
explained Chief Oluwaremilekun Adeniyi; the Iyalode of Agbowa during an
interview with her. She also stressed on the importance of the festival to the
people of Agbowa, she said the Agbo Remireke is the only festival celebrated by
the people of Agbowa and it’s highly attended by Agbowa citizens at home and in
diaspora. She said the festival brings peace and unity to the community.
Engineer Shikiru Kunle Ogunfowora, the Aro of Agbowa buttressed same point by
saying the festival attracts both youths and the elderly, male and female and
even children are encouraged to be part of the festival so that, the tradition
is sustained. He said, the festival is dedicated to women.”…
From https://steemit.com/culture/@sammielaboi/agbo-remireke-festival-of-agbowa-ikosi AGBO REMIREKE FESTIVAL OF AGBOWA -IKOSI, written by sammielaboi, 2017
"Masquerades in Nigeria are regarded as spirits or heavenly
bodies which communicate between people’s ancestors and the living. They wear
masks and have dance steps that can keep spectators in one spot for a long
time. Some masquerades chase and flog spectators while others don’t.
Masquerades festivals are traditional and cultural events
which civilization cannot erase. It is an event usually celebrated by a local
community. Different communities have different type of masquerade they
celebrate. These festivals serve to meet specific needs as well as to provide
entertainment for the people. They also help to remind people of their
traditions and in recent times helps in unifying a community.
AGBO REMIREKE
Agbo remireke festival is the most important and significant
festival of Agbowa-ikosi. It is celebrated once in three years during the
Christmas period. This study seeks to bring to lime light the dramatics of the
festival, and to look at the way the people of Agbowa have been celebrating
this festival in the past and recent years. Another purpose of this study is to
look at the way the people celebrate this festival despite the fact that many
identify themselves as either Christians or Muslims.
[…]
Origin of Agbo-remireke Festival
According to my informant, the Agbo festival did not
originate from Agbowa-Ikosi. It was collected from a village called Iwopin. It
is said that a man from Agbowa-Ikosi went on a journey to Iwopin in Ogun State.
He saw the festival been celebrated and he liked it. He went to meet the elders
of Iwopin to enquire how he would be able to bring the festival to Agbowa. He
was required to perform some sacrifices. So he came back to Agbowa to consult
with the elders about bringing the festival to Agbowa.
The elders bought into the idea and went along with him to
Iwopin to carry out the necessary sacrifices and bring the festival to Agbowa.
After the completion of the sacrifice, the deities that are associated with the
festival were given to them. The name of the deities are: “Majenimo” also known
as “Okooro”. This diety is the one that declares the date of the Agbo Festival.
Another diety given to these elders is called “Alelugbagba”. This diety is also
important in choosing the date of the celebration. When the “Alelugbagba”
masquerade comes out, it means that the date of celebration is fixed. If it has
not come out, then the date can still be changed. It also goes in search of
plantains to be used for sacrifice.
Another deity in the celebration is the “Ajeye” (Chicken
eater) deity. This deity goes in search of chickens to be used for sacrifice
and it is also believed that the “Ajeye” is the Agbo-remireke deity.
It is believed that the Agbo remireke will be tired after the performance, so as the husband, “Ajeye” has to provide the food that she will eat after her performance. Hence, he goes in search of chicken for her. The main deity of the festival is the Agbo-remireke deity. It is a feminine deity. A collection of this deities are called “Irunmale” meaning “deities”. The festival is performed once in three years and it is done during the Christmas period.
Drum
There are special drums for the festival. The drums are in
three different sets, the smallest one is called “Ipere” or “Omele” in other
Yoruba communities. There is also a twin set of drums called “Kuge”. One of the
twin sets of drum is known as “Kuge Olohun Oke” which means high sounding Kuge
and the other one is called “Kuge Olohun Isale” which means low sounding Kuge.
The biggest drum is called “Olori Ilu” which which means the “Chief drum”. The
drum is used to communicate with the Agbo masquerade. It changes its dance
steps as the drummer changes the beats.
Dance
The masquerade dances to the beat of the drum. There are
also three different types of dance that the masquerade dances. The first one
is called “Irenle” or “Ilale”. This dance is sued to show off the costume of
the masquerade. It is a majestic dance where the masquerade bends down and
displays its colourful costume. The second dance is known as “Kederi”. In this
dance, the masquerade shows off its dancing skills. The third dance is called
“Ayegun”. It is only danced on the last day of the festival. When the
Agbo-Remireke is about to dance the “Ayegun” dance, her husband, the “Ajeye”
masquerade stands besides her. The dance steps are a natural gift. Though,
people learn the dance even if they are not talented but there is always a
sharp difference between those who are naturally gifted and those who are not.
Costume
This is the most expensive aspect of the festival. “Eku” is
the Yoruba name for masquerade costumes. The people of Agbowa-Ikosi go as far
as importing the material for the costume from abroad. The costume for non
masquerade can cost as much as two to five million naira. Colourful designs are
embroidered on the costume. According to my informant, when the festival first
came to Agbowa, women’s old wrappers were used as costume. With the arrival of
modernity, the costume changed and beautiful designs are being made on the
costume. The costume also includes a mask with a feminine face. It is believed
that the masquerade is a female, so the mask is also made with afeminine face
and plaited hair. The masquerade also holds a sword and horse tail known as
“Irukere” in Yoruba language. The sword is used by the masquerade to make way for
itself. The audience gets carried away with its performance and they constitute
an obstruction which prevents the masquerade from dancing round the square. It
wields the sword in order to scare people back, thereby making a way for
itself. The horse tail is used to add to its majestic aura. There are also
rattles tied to the masquerade’s legs. The rattle is called “Ide” in Yoruba. It
is used to announce its presence and also to keep it in tune with the drum.
Music
This is a very important aspect of the festival. Though,
there is little or no linguistic content in masquerade festivals as noted by
Finnegan, there is the use of music to convey messages to people during this
time. The elders sing a song to greet the people. The people also reply with
song. A very important part of the music is this festival is the insult and
praise songs. Different groups emerge to compose songs which will either be in
praise of someone or be an insult to someone. The praise song is used to
encourage people to keep on doing good and the insult song serves as a form of
check and balance to defaulters. The Agbo also has an “Oriki”, a
panegyric/praise chant. The chant is used to hail the Agbo deity and the other
deities associated with it."...
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ADDENDUM- HBCU DRUM MAJORS' HIGH STEPPING MARCHING STYLE
Famu Marching 100 | "Snake Walk/ Pre-Game Entrance" (2021)
MARCHING 100 PAPARAZZI, Sept. 21, 2021
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