The Yoruba Gźlẹdẹ spectacle is a mask-based art and ritual dance performance that is intended to entertain, instruct, and encourage worship. It is performed in public. Gelede honors “Mothers” (awon iya wa), a category that comprises senior women in the community, female ancestors, and deities, as well as the strength and spiritual aptitude these women possess in society. concentrating on appropriate social behavior in Yoruba society in addition to fertility and parenting. Three potential locations—Old Oyo, Ketu, and Ilobi—are associated with the historical beginnings.
One of the most ornate and ancient Gelede performances, Ketu, tells the tale of a dying monarch and his twin sons fighting for the crown. One brother devised a scheme to murder his twin after realizing he would not get the crown. The brother devised a counterplan after learning of the scheme, which included building a mask and a fake person to serve as a decoy. The mythological beginnings are closely related to Iya Nla, the Great Mother, and her association with twins and maternity. The divination stories known as Odu Ifa contain the majority of Yoruba tales. There is roughly 256 Odu Ifa, and each one has several poetries known as ese Ifa. An ese Ifa typically tells the story of an animal or person with a problem and the methods taken to solve it.
The story of Gelede’s beginnings is told by an ese Ifa, who describes Yemoja as “The Mother of all the orisa and all living things.” When Yemoja was unable to conceive, she went to an Ifa oracle for advice. The oracle suggested that Yemoja dance while wearing metal anklets on her feet and wooden pictures on her head. This ceremony worked, and she got pregnant. The boy who was her firstborn was called “Efe” (the humorist); the Efe mask draws attention to songs and jokes due to the character of its namesake. The daughter who was Yemoja’s second kid was called “Gelede” since she shared her mother’s obesity. Gelede cherished dancing, much like her mother did.
Neither Gelede nor Efe’s partner could have children after getting married to each other. The Ifa oracle advised them to attempt the same rite that their mother had found success with. Efe and Gelede began bearing children as soon as they carried out these rites, which included dancing while wearing metal anklets and wooden representations on their heads. The Gelede masked dance originated from these rites and was carried on by Efe and Gelede’s descendants. The Gelede festival is a fertility-focused divination event.
After the yearly event, the moms who already have children will realize how much the Gelede masquerade has helped them, and the barren members of society will be able to conceive. This Gelede organization is presided by Iyalase, the Chief Priestess, whose name means “mother of the shrine”. She serves as the primary liaison between the Gelde Society, the community, and Iya Nla. Aside from serving as a communication link, Iyalase’s primary duty is overseeing the Gelede shrine in Ase, which only she is permitted to attend. The masculine counterpart of Iyalase is Babalase, the Chief Priest, whose name means “father of the shrine”.
Organizing the Gelede festival’s events is his primary responsibility within the Gelede society. He not only plans the Gelede festivities but also serves as the official custodian of the costumes and headdresses used in them. In the broadest sense, the Babalase is Iyalase’s aide, and he will only be selected with Iya Nla’s and the influential moms’ consent.
