Yoruba visual culture communicates the cosmology and spiritual beliefs in many ways.The Egungun masquerades are associated with the venerations of ancestors while altar bowls like the Olumeye Alter Bowl to honor and respect the gods and spiritual ideas.
Like most African cultures the Yoruba use shrines to interact with deities and spirits. sculptural forms in this case the Olumeye Alter Bowl are added to shrines as gifts. This particular bowl was created for the altar of an orisha. The bowl depicts a female figure supporting the bowl as a messenger to the orisha. many other important ideas could also be derived from this piece. the woman is carrying a child on her back along with another at her side this could possibly represent twin which happen to be important in Yoruba culture. also on top four female figures are dancing. One might also look at the symbol on the side of the bowl as the crossroads.
The Egungun Masquerades are performed to communicate with the spirit world rather than be perceived as a static sculptural entity. Many Yoruba associate this masquerade with the veneration of ancestors. Some egungun masquerades impersonate the spirit of the recently departed to ensure everything is in order before crossing to the spirit world. Engungen are identified with specific families and play a regulating role in that family. This serves as a link between the living and the dead.
Although both of these things portraying cosmological and spiritual beliefs they are representing two very different ideas one dealing with ancestors and their spirits while the other deals with the aspect of gods and offering them gifts.
Of course, ancestors serve as links between the orisha and living people. Watch the spelling/mechanics.
ReplyDeleteI also found the Alter Bowl to be very interesting and it definitely goes along with how the Yoruba uses their spiritual beliefs in their art. But I would of like to see more comparison between the two and how the two items related to one another.
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