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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:The masquerade as hero in Igbo traditional society
Author:Nwabueze, EmekaISNI
Year:1989
Periodical:Frankfurter afrikanistische Blätter
Issue:1
Pages:95-107
Language:English
Geographic term:Nigeria
Subjects:Igbo
masquerades
Abstract:In the traditional (precolonial) society of the Igbo of east Nigeria specific heroic qualities were used in Igbo masquerade drama. The qualities were projected either through masquerade displays or through the invocation of the hero as a masquerade. What was being personified in a masquerade was a revered Igbo ancestor invited back to life to commune with the living on various occasions, in order to perform or supervise the performance of the functions for which his heroism was recognized. Heroism was attained through achievement, in agriculture, war, wrestling, politics and oratory, and legal matters. Part two of the paper shows how the masquerade fits into a theoretical model of the hero. It also examines the role of the masquerade as a transcendent hero, who represents the spirit of the ancestor who has been recognized as having attained heroic proportions during his lifetime. Ref.
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