By
Andrea Okoye
(With
agency reports)
Any visit to Lagos, for cultural and
tourism purposes, though, without witnessing the Eyo Masquerade, is no doubt a
visit in futility. This is because the culture of the Yoruba people of Lagos
State cannot be complete without the mention of the Eyo Masquerade, which has
become synonymous with the state. In
fact, Eyo is like a symbol of Lagos State; it is unique to the state, and comes
out during culturally prominent festivals. Eyo is a festival on its own.
The Eyo is the masquerade that comes
out during this culturally prominent festival. Unlike other festivals, the Eyo
festival isn’t just celebrated for entertainment purposes. Every Eyo festival commemorates a deceased
Oba (king) or prominent Lagosian who has had a great impact on the people of
Lagos. The festival has survived over
fifteen decades, with the premiere festival held on February 20, 1854, and
staged in memory of late Oba Akintoye. But the absence of written history has
made it difficult to determine the true origins of the Eyo festival. Different
people provide various accounts. Some say it started to commemorate the
late wife of Oba Akintoye who was a princess. As a result of her royal
affinity, her family decided to give her the customary befitting burial for
prominent people. This, they claim, was how the first Eyo Festival started. On
such days, it is the Eyo masquerades that come out in their hundreds to dance
and pay tribute to the deceased person being honoured.
Without the Eyo masquerade, there is
no Eyo festival. But, there’s more to choosing a date and watching the elegant
and beautiful processions of the various Eyo masquerades through their
designated routes, doing their traditional routines and dances. Historically, the Eyo masquerades (Eyo
Orisha) are categorised into five various groups, Adimu (Eyo
Orisha), Eyo Alaketepupa, Eyo Oniko, Eyo Ologede, and Eyo
Agere. Within these different types of masquerades, there exists a
hierarchical order. Aside these hierarchical differences, they also have
distinct physical characteristics and functions.
Eyo Orisha is the highest and most respected
among the five Eyo groups. They are also referred to as Adimu Orisha,
as they are seen as the closest to the gods.
Eyo Alaketepupa is the second in the order of Eyo
groups. They are also called ‘Iyu Oba Olori Eyo Alaketepupa’ which
makes them believe they are the first Eyo cult groups in Lagos. People
refer to them as Laba – the first. The Alaketepupa usually
wears a red hat with white tapings around it.
Eyo Oniko the third in the order and popularly
recognized because of the long wooden stick it wields. Oniko wears a
yellow hat with black tapings around it.
Eyo Ologede succeeds the Oniko, and can
be identified by the stilts that make them tall, and their green hat taped with
yellow ribbons.
The last Eyo group is the Agere.
It can be identified by its purple hat with light purple ribbon tapings.
Unlike most other Nigerian festivals,
Eyo is not an annual festival, but is scheduled at the discretion of the
incumbent Oba. To commence Eyo in Lagos, a family sends a message to the Oba of
Lagos, who in turn sends word to the traditional priests. Both parties will ask
the family for a date they prefer, so that further consultations and
confirmation can be done from Ifa (a god). Before the Eyo date,
rituals and sacrifices are done to avert bad luck, tragedy or bloodshed as well
as for the safe commuting and procession of guests and Eyo groups respectively.
Most of these rituals are done away from the general public, and can only be
performed by members of the Adimu conclave.
On the eve of the Eyo, the Orisha
Adimu visits the Imokun to commemorate with the family of the
dead, followed by Eyo Oniko, and Eyo Ologede. This is done at about 2am. When
they return, feedback is sent to the Oba, who also visits the Imokun in the
early hours of the day. After many of the traditional rites have been
performed, at about 7am, all the other smaller Eyo groups are now permitted to
walk the streets. At this time, the five Eyo groups go to the Oba’s palace in a
procession. Now, Eyo groups can go from place to place visiting and
exchanging pleasantries with their friends and loved ones. If any smaller Eyo
group meets another superior Eyo, it brings its wooden staff of office (Opanbata)
down as a sign of respect and submission.
At this point most people think that
marks the end of the Eyo ritual, but about three days after Eyo there’s another
cult group called “Akalamekunake” who go to the Imokun to
remove the corpse. This rite is prohibited to be seen by the public. Also, two
to three months later, the Eyo celebrates the “Adabo” – a gathering to
congratulate one another on successfully performing the Eyo rites and festival
safely. When this is done, the Oba, his chiefs and the children and relatives
of the deceased gather in front of the Oba’s palace to dance. This dance ritual
is called “won jo opa.” It is only after this dance that the Eyo
festival is considered finally over. Since only one day is open to the public,
people believe the Eyo festival occurs only in a single day when in reality it
takes about three months for the entire ritual to be conducted.
Taboos of Eyo
No Eyo masquerade is permitted to cross the Lagos
lagoon that surrounds the island. For the public observers of the festival,
certain taboos that shouldn’t be broken include the wearing of headscarves,
shoes, glasses, smoking and using an umbrella. Also, women are prohibited from
braiding their hair in the traditional “shoku” upswift style, unless the
ends of the braids are loosened. This is because the Eyo Ologede also
has the same hairstyle. In addition, photographs of the Orisha Adimu,
Ologede and Oniko are strictly prohibited. Photos of the Ikolaba
and other smaller Eyo groups are, however, permitted.
When the Eyo masquerader comes toward you,
you must take off your shoes and stop immediately if you are riding a
motorcycle. You can't photograph the eyos, smoke, wear a hat or hold umbrellas,
even if it's raining. Women must wear skirts instead of pants, and you can't
weave in front of eyos. If you break any of the rules, the eyos will beat you
up with the bamboo stick. No kidding! But if you obeyed the rules, the eyos
would use the same bamboo stick to pray for you. There has been violence at the
festival before, and some residents were even scared when talking about it.
The Eyo Regalia
All Eyo masquerades are clothed in the hat (Akete
or Ape) which helps to indicate the house or Eyo group one belongs to; the Iboju,
a face mask/cover made of perforated fabrics, and the panbata is the
wooden staff of office, which you use to touch other Opanbatas and
exchange pleasantries, except for cases where they are used to beat offenders
of the Eyo norms and tradition.
In contemporary Lagos, the relevance and investment on
the festival has increased to attract more tourists. Also, the festival
has been noted to boost the Lagos State economy through the activities of
textile traders, food vendors, and tourists.
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