EKPO MASQUERADE
Masking is extensive in Esan, but it takes place within just three masquerade systems: EKPO, ILO, and IGBABONELIMHIN. Of these, the Esan people identify Igbabonelimhin as an ancient and essential cultural feature. While Ekpo and Ilo are acknowledged to be recently introduced masquerades.
The Ekpo masquerade was first performed by a single troupe in the village of Ekekhen in Esan and spread to other kingdom’s in Esanland.
In Esan, the Ekpo is considered to be a supernatural being. There is a shrine in a nearby clearing, at which a cow or goat is sacrificed during the annual festival (Iluekpo). The priest who performs the sacrifice also organizes all Ekpo activities and regulates membership in the cult. Initiates take an oath of loyalty (ihen) to the cult, upon which its secrets are revealed to them.
The primary function of Ekpo in Esan is to preserve the village from illness and other misfortunes. In times of crisis, Ekpo maskers will appear to give advice, issue warnings, or curse evildoers. Ekpo may also provide entertainment, however, at chieftaincy title-takings, second burial celebrations (itolimhin) and other festive occasions.
They are free to perform throughout Esan kingdoms, in Benin, and elsewhere by invitation. The appearance of the Ekekhen Ekpo maskers and the pattern of their performances are . Carved wooden helmet masks are worn with palm frond costumes. The dance consists of two stages; during the first (egbe oto) the pace is slow and maskers are “grounded” to the earth (oto), while the second stage (egbe) is characterized by speed and energetic twirling, jumping and bending which sets the palm fronds in motion.
Maskers enter the arena one by one for such virtuosic dance displays. Male musicians are accompanied by a chorus of women who sing and play gourd rattles. The women sing and dance in place at the edge of the arena while the masks perform, but during intermissions they occupy the arena itself and dance more vigorously. The women’s dance (ikhuobobo) concludes the performance. In Ekekhen, the precursor of the current Ekpo costume was said to have consisted of a banana-leaf body covering and a calabash mask with cut-out eye holes.
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