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Background information
Made by: Ichie Ezennaya of Achalla, Nigeria 1998 and assembled at the Horniman Museum 1999 The Igbo in Nigeria are a people who believe very strongly in their tradition and culture and enact their world view through rituals, ceremonies, dance and music. One very significant tradition is the performance of the masquerade, the utmost of these being the ijele. When ijele is performed it carries with it the supreme mystical authority of Igbo elders and ancestors . In Achalla in South Eastern Nigeria the family of Ichie Ezennaya has a long history of building ijele masquerade costumes for the community. The building of the ijele is complex and demanding and takes up to one year. In a traditional setting, the entire community would provide food and palmwine for the master builder. As the building of the ijele is a social and historic event the entire community becomes involved in the process and families visit the builders to follow progress. This fosters a sense of collective ownership and pride in the ijele. Parts of the commission are carried out away from public view, when the ijele was being constructed at the museum a special enclosure was put up while the ijele was completed. The ijele is performed in an open clearing in the centre of a town or village and a special enclosure is constructed for the ijele. The ijele is made from lightweight materials as it is carried by one person. Before a man can carry the ijele various rituals are performed and then it is balanced on his head and shoulders. Ijele performs for only ten or twenty minutes at a time as it is heavy and there is an enclosure where the wearer can rest before the next round of performance. The Ijele dances to the 'music of kings' played on flutes and drums and the regal steps are in keeping with kings and elders. The ijele has been likened to an elephant with its huge size and slow movements. The ijele usually performs last after other smaller masquerades as it is the largest and most significant mask. At the end of the performance the wearer is paraded and celebrated for his achievement of successfully carrying the masquerade. It is only the elders in the community who can command and give orders for the ijele to emerge from the enclosure into the arena to perform. When the ijele appears there is a thunderous ovation and dancing. There are many motifs adorning the ijele. The python represents a great and powerful reptile that can swallow a human being other motifs include hands, elephants, police, eagle feathers. The figure on a horse at the top of the ijele represents a colonial District Officer or an Igbo king. The motifs represent the interplay of the spiritual, animal and physical worlds and the harmony that prevails in the Igbo communities. The ijele is community owned and can only perform on special occasions on the order and authority of the king and elders of the community. |