Ékpè Module — Initiatory Societies

The Abakuá mutual aid and initiatory society founded in Cuba in 1836, derived from Ékpè/Ngbe through enslaved Efik and Efut practitioners in Havana and Matanzas. Organized into potencias (lodges), each with a specific founding charter and ranked titleholders. Known in Cuban public life through the íremes (diablito masquerades) which appear at funerals and public ceremonies. Male-only by tradition (juramento).

One of the most extensively documented Afro-Atlantic initiatory societies due to 19th-century Cuban court records and 20th-century ethnographic work (Cabrera, Sosa). Historical lodge names and early records are in the public domain; contemporary lodge governance and membership remain restricted.

An Ijebu Yorùbá priestly and masquerade society associated with Agemo, a deity of transformation and mediation between worlds. The Agemo festival cycle involves multiple masquerades representing aspects of Agemo's power. Restricted primarily to Ijebu initiates.

The Yorùbá ancestral masquerade society responsible for summoning and embodying ancestral spirits (egungun). Membership and performance rights are typically hereditary through specific lineages. The masked figure is understood as a manifestation of the collective ancestral force, not a theatrical performance. Widespread across Yorùbáland and diaspora.

A masquerade society of the Yorùbá, Nago, and Fon peoples honoring the power of women, especially elder women, ancestresses, and the mothers (àwọn ìyá wa). Gelede festivals feature carved wooden masks worn by male dancers who embody female spiritual authority. UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Active in Nigeria, Benin, and diaspora communities.

The Yorùbá earth-deity society organized around Onilé (the earth) and its representations. Historically a governance institution with judicial, political, and ritual authority in Yorùbá towns. Members include both men and women. The Reformed Ogboni Fraternity (ROF) is a Christianized offshoot. Distinct from the traditional Oshugbo lineages in Ijebu and other areas.

Also known as: Reformed Ogboni Fraternity

A Yorùbá male initiatory society associated with the voice of Oro (heard as a bullroarer), ancestral authority, and community sanction. Oro festivals enforce communal prohibitions and conduct ancestral rites. Strict gender separation is central to Oro practice: women must remain indoors when Oro goes out.

Initiatory society type not covered by existing concepts. Use skos:scopeNote to describe.

The male initiatory bush school society widespread among Mande, Kpelle, Temne, and neighboring peoples of Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. Poro manages male initiation, education, and community governance through a graded forest-based curriculum.

The female counterpart to Poro, managing female initiation among Mende, Temne, and neighboring peoples. Sande is distinctive in African contexts as a society where women wear and operate the sacred Sowei helmet mask.

The Ékpè (also Ngbe) leopard society originating among Ejagham and neighboring Cross River peoples of Nigeria and Cameroon. One of the most widespread and influential initiatory societies in West Africa, with documented diaspora presence through enslaved Africans in Cuba (Abakuá) and elsewhere. Organized around graded leopard-force initiation; Nsibidi script is associated with Ékpè esoteric communication.

Also known as: Leopard Society

Ékpè and Abakuá are historically related but institutionally distinct. Use iroko:parentSociety to express the derived relationship.

The masquerade manifests an ancestral spirit or collective ancestral force. Primary function of Egungun.

The masquerade enforces community rules or social norms through symbolic or direct intervention. Function of Oro.

The masquerade performs entertainment, social commentary, or satire as a secondary function. Often combined with sacred primary functions.

The masquerade participates in funerary ceremonies, guiding the deceased or honoring the passing. Abakuá íremes appear at members' funerals.

The masquerade carries healing or protective power for the community or individual supplicants.

The masquerade pays tribute to the power of elder women, ancestresses, and female spiritual authority. Primary function of Gelede.

Masquerade function not covered by existing concepts.

The masquerade carries and communicates the voice or authority of the society. Function of Abakuá íremes and Ékpè masquerades.

Decisions made through deliberation among all members or all senior members without fixed hierarchical authority.

Governance by a council of senior members without strict linear grade hierarchy. Characteristic of Ogboni and some Egungun lineages.

Governance officers are elected by the membership for defined terms. More common in diaspora adaptations (Reformed Ogboni Fraternity, some Abakuá mutual aid structures).

Key titles pass within specific families or lineages. Characteristic of some Egungun and Agemo societies.

Authority flows through a defined sequence of grades; higher grades govern lower. Characteristic of Ékpè, Abakuá, and similar tiered societies.

Governance structure not covered by existing concepts.

Title conferred by vote of eligible members.

Title passes within a family or lineage by birthright or elder designation.

Title conferral method not covered by existing concepts.

Title conferred in exchange for a defined payment or contribution to the society. Common in some Ékpè and Abakuá grade structures.

Title conferred by nomination from existing titleholders or elders.

Title conferred through divination or spiritual indication rather than human election.