active
type: Concept
definition: The society is currently operating, initiating members, and exercising its governance functions.
in scheme: Society Status Scheme

grade count
type: DatatypeProperty
comment: Number of grades in this society's hierarchy. The count is community-restricted in active societies; public for historical documentation.
domain: Initiatory Society
range: integer
minimum access level: access-community-only

Initiatory Society Types
type: ConceptScheme
has top concept: Abakuá
has top concept: Agemo
has top concept: Egungun
has top concept: Ékpè / Ngbe
has top concept: Gelede
has top concept: Ogboni / Oshugbo
has top concept: Oro
has top concept: Other
has top concept: Poro
has top concept: Sande / Bundo
preferred label: Tipos de sociedad iniciática @es
preferred label: Types de société initiatique @fr
preferred label: Tipos de sociedade iniciática @pt
preferred label: Àwọn ìrú ẹgbẹ́ àṣírí @yo

Election by membership
type: Concept
definition: Title conferred by vote of eligible members.
in scheme: Title Conferral Methods

Ogboni / Oshugbo
type: Concept
alternative label: Reformed Ogboni Fraternity
definition: 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.
in scheme: Initiatory Society Types

Other
type: Concept
definition: Governance structure not covered by existing concepts.
in scheme: Society Governance Structures

Iroko Framework: Ékpè Module (Initiatory Societies, Grades, and Esoteric Governance)
type: Ontology
created: 2026-02-21
creator: Iroko Historical Society
description: Domain module. Vocabulary for documenting initiatory societies, grade structures, esoteric governance, and sodality membership across Afro-Atlantic traditions. Covers Ékpè/Ngbe, Abakuá, Ogboni/Oshugbo, Oro, Gelede, Egungun, and analogous institutions. Distinct from iroko-ile (religious houses and lineages) and iroko-travay (ritual processes): this module focuses on the institutional architecture of sodalities as systems of graded authority, esoteric knowledge, and community governance. Use with iroko-authority to model grade conferral authority and recognition networks; iroko-epistemic to constrain disclosure of restricted grade content and member identities.
is part of: iroko-framework
license: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
modified: 2026-03-21
references: iroko-authority
references: iroko-epistemic
imports: iroko-core
version IRI: https://ontology.irokosociety.org/iroko-ekpe/1.3.0
version info: 1.3.0

Hereditary succession
type: Concept
definition: Title passes within a family or lineage by birthright or elder designation.
in scheme: Title Conferral Methods

title insignia
type: DatatypeProperty
comment: Material objects, dress, or identifying marks associated with this title. Initiated-elder only: insignia descriptions can enable unauthorized imitation.
domain: Society Title
range: langString
minimum access level: access-initiated-elder

lodge name
type: DatatypeProperty
comment: The public name of the lodge or potencia. In Abakuá: the potencia name (e.g., Efik Butón, Efik Efor). Community-restricted for active lodges; public for historical lodges documented in scholarly sources.
domain: Society Lodge
range: langString
minimum access level: access-community-only

initiating officiant
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The titleholder who performed the initiation. No-access.
domain: Membership Record
range: Person
minimum access level: access-no-access

Society Lodge
type: Class
comment: A local chapter or lodge of an initiatory society. Ékpè lodges in Cross River; Abakuá potencias in Havana and Matanzas; Ogboni chapters in Yorùbá towns. Each lodge may have its own territory, titleholders, and charter, while being part of a broader society network. Uses iroko:parentSociety to link to the overarching tradition-level society.
subclass of: Initiatory Society

Egungun
type: Concept
definition: 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 Afro-Atlantic.
in scheme: Initiatory Society Types
preferred label: Egúngún @yo

parent society
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The broader society network or tradition of which this lodge is a chapter. A Havana Abakuá potencia links to the Abakuá tradition; a Calabar Ékpè lodge links to the Ékpè tradition. Subproperty of prov:wasDerivedFrom.
domain: Society Lodge
range: Initiatory Society
sub property of: wasDerivedFrom
minimum access level: access-public-unrestricted

Sande / Bundo
type: Concept
definition: 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.
in scheme: Initiatory Society Types

Communal sanction / enforcement
type: Concept
definition: The masquerade enforces community rules or social norms through symbolic or direct intervention. Function of Oro.
in scheme: Masquerade Functions

Society Masquerade
type: Class
comment: A masked or costumed ritual embodiment associated with an initiatory society, representing an ancestor, force, or principle. Examples: Abakuá íremes (diablitos) representing the voice of the fish Tanze; Egungun masquerades embodying ancestral spirits; Gelede masquerades honoring the mothers. The masquerade as a cultural form (name, tradition, function) is community-restricted; the identities of performers and operational sequences are initiated-only. Distinct from iroko:SpiritualEntity (which covers the spiritual force) and travay:CeremonialSequence (which covers the ritual sequence).
subclass of: SacredEntity

grade privileges
type: DatatypeProperty
comment: The ritual, governance, or social privileges conferred by this grade. Initiated-elder only.
domain: Society Grade
range: langString
minimum access level: access-initiated-elder

grade sign
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The esoteric graphic sign or identifying mark associated with this grade. Range: iroko:GraphicSign — grade signs in Ékpè and cognate societies are drawn symbols belonging to a sacred sign system, not free-text strings. Initiated-elder only.
domain: Society Grade
range: GraphicSign
minimum access level: access-initiated-elder

Healing / protective
type: Concept
definition: The masquerade carries healing or protective power for the community or individual supplicants.
in scheme: Masquerade Functions

forcibly dissolved
type: Concept
definition: The society was suppressed by an external authority — colonial administration, state government, or occupying power — rather than ceasing through internal process. Records held by a forcibly dissolved society do not become public as a result of the dissolution. See also: iroko:ForcedDissolution.
in scheme: Society Status Scheme

masquerade insignia
type: DatatypeProperty
comment: Description of costume elements, materials, and identifying features. Initiated-elder only.
domain: Society Masquerade
range: langString
minimum access level: access-initiated-elder

society type
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Typological classification of the society. Range: iroko:InitiatorySocietyTypeScheme.
domain: Initiatory Society
range: Concept
minimum access level: access-public-unrestricted

grade prerequisite
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The grade that must be held before this grade may be received. Initiated-only: the sequencing of grades is esoteric knowledge.
domain: Society Grade
range: Society Grade
minimum access level: access-initiated-only

reformed
type: Concept
definition: The society has been reconstituted after a period of dormancy or dissolution, with continuity of tradition but a break in institutional operation.
in scheme: Society Status Scheme

Oro
type: Concept
definition: 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.
in scheme: Initiatory Society Types

dissolution event
type: ObjectProperty
comment: Links an InitiatorySociety to a ForcedDissolution event that ended or suspended its operation by external authority.
domain: Initiatory Society
range: Forced Dissolution
minimum access level: access-public-unrestricted
issued: 2026-03-21
modified: 2026-03-21

membership society
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The society into which the individual was initiated.
domain: Membership Record
range: Initiatory Society
minimum access level: access-community-only

Agemo
type: Concept
definition: 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.
in scheme: Initiatory Society Types
preferred label: Àgẹmọ @yo

Society Governance Structures
type: ConceptScheme
has top concept: Consensus / deliberative
has top concept: Council of elders
has top concept: Elected officers
has top concept: Hereditary title succession
has top concept: Hierarchical grade system
has top concept: Other
preferred label: Estructuras de gobernanza de sociedades @es
preferred label: Structures de gouvernance des sociétés @fr
preferred label: Estruturas de governança de sociedades @pt
preferred label: Àwọn ìlànà ìṣàkóso ẹgbẹ́ @yo

Gelede
type: Concept
definition: 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 Afro-Atlantic communities.
in scheme: Initiatory Society Types
preferred label: Gẹlẹdẹ @yo

gender policy
type: DatatypeProperty
comment: Documents tradition-specific rules regarding gender and membership. For Abakuá: historically male-only (juramento); for Ogboni: both male and female members, with distinct female titleholder roles (Iyalode); for Gelede: primarily concerns gender complementarity (mothers/fathers). Free-text, records documented practice without normative judgment.
domain: Initiatory Society
range: langString
minimum access level: access-community-only

dissolution authority
type: DatatypeProperty
comment: The external authority (state, colonial power, occupying government) that forced dissolution of the society. Free text, language-tagged.
domain: Forced Dissolution
range: langString
minimum access level: access-public-unrestricted
issued: 2026-03-21
modified: 2026-03-21

founding location
type: DatatypeProperty
comment: Place of origin or founding of the society. City/country level is public; specific address is community-restricted.
domain: Initiatory Society
range: langString
minimum access level: access-public-unrestricted

Society Status Scheme
type: ConceptScheme
comment: Controlled vocabulary for the operational status of an initiatory society.
issued: 2026-03-21
modified: 2026-03-21

lodge territory
type: DatatypeProperty
comment: The geographic or community territory over which a lodge exercises spiritual and social jurisdiction. Free-text description.
domain: Society Lodge
range: langString
minimum access level: access-public-unrestricted

society status
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The current operational status of an initiatory society. Range: iroko:SocietyStatusScheme concepts (active, historical, reformed, forcibly-dissolved). A forcibly-dissolved society's archival records retain their access restrictions — dissolution by external authority does not transfer governance to the suppressing power or to the public.
domain: Initiatory Society
range: Concept
minimum access level: access-public-unrestricted
issued: 2026-03-21
modified: 2026-03-21

Other
type: Concept
definition: Title conferral method not covered by existing concepts.
in scheme: Title Conferral Methods

Society Grade
type: Class
comment: A defined rank or level within an initiatory society's graded hierarchy. Each grade confers specific knowledge, privileges, obligations, and esoteric rights. Grade names, their sequence, and their content are among the most carefully protected knowledge in these traditions. The existence of a grade structure is public; grade names are community-restricted; grade content and sequence are initiated-only or initiated-elder.
subclass of: SacredEntity

member person
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The person to whom this membership record belongs. No-access: member identity is the most protected information in society records.
domain: Membership Record
range: Person
minimum access level: access-no-access

required grade for performance
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The minimum grade required to perform or wear this masquerade. Initiated-only.
domain: Society Masquerade
range: Society Grade
minimum access level: access-initiated-only

Council of elders
type: Concept
definition: Governance by a council of senior members without strict linear grade hierarchy. Characteristic of Ogboni and some Egungun lineages.
in scheme: Society Governance Structures

required grade
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The minimum grade required to hold this title. Initiated-only.
domain: Society Title
range: Society Grade
minimum access level: access-initiated-only

Title Conferral Methods
type: ConceptScheme
has top concept: Election by membership
has top concept: Hereditary succession
has top concept: Other
has top concept: Purchase / fee-based conferral
has top concept: Senior nomination
has top concept: Spiritual designation
preferred label: Métodos de conferimiento de títulos @es
preferred label: Méthodes de conférence des titres @fr
preferred label: Métodos de concessão de títulos @pt
preferred label: Àwọn ọ̀nà ìfúnni orúkọ ọlá @yo

dissolution date
type: DatatypeProperty
comment: The date or approximate period of the forced dissolution event.
domain: Forced Dissolution
range: langString
minimum access level: access-public-unrestricted
issued: 2026-03-21
modified: 2026-03-21

grade level
type: DatatypeProperty
comment: Numeric position in the grade sequence. 1 = lowest/entry. Community-restricted.
domain: Society Grade
range: integer
minimum access level: access-community-only

Forced Dissolution
type: Class
comment: An event in which an initiatory society was suppressed, banned, or destroyed by an external authority. Enables structured documentation of state violence against sacred institutions. Primary case study: Machado-era suppression of Abakuá potencias in Cuba (1923). Key governance principle: forced dissolution by an external authority does not transfer custodial rights over the society's sacred materials, records, or knowledge to the suppressing state or to the public. Materials held by a forcibly dissolved society remain governed by iroko:Ritual Sovereignty under iroko:RitualPractitioner authority.
subclass of: SacredEntity
minimum access level: access-public-unrestricted
issued: 2026-03-21
modified: 2026-03-21

grade society
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The initiatory society to which this grade belongs.
domain: Society Grade
range: Initiatory Society
minimum access level: access-community-only

Initiatory Society
type: Class
comment: A sodality or secret society organized around graded initiation, with esoteric knowledge and authority distributed across hierarchical grades. Membership is earned through initiation rather than birth or lineage alone. Examples: Ékpè/Ngbe lodges (Ejagham, Cross River Nigeria/Cameroon), Abakuá potencias (Cuba), Ogboni chapters (Yorùbáland), Gelede societies (Yorùbá/Fon/Ewe), Egungun lineage associations. Subclasses schema:Organization for interoperability with external directories, and iroko:SacredEntity for access control. Distinguished from iroko:House (which organizes around founding-elder lineage) in that membership cross-cuts lineage boundaries.
subclass of: Organization
subclass of: SacredEntity

Other
type: Concept
definition: Initiatory society type not covered by existing concepts. Use skos:scopeNote to describe.
in scheme: Initiatory Society Types

title name
type: DatatypeProperty
comment: The name of the office or title in the tradition's language. Community-restricted.
domain: Society Title
range: langString
minimum access level: access-community-only

Spiritual designation
type: Concept
definition: Title conferred through divination or spiritual indication rather than human election.
in scheme: Title Conferral Methods

masquerade society
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The initiatory society to which this masquerade belongs.
domain: Society Masquerade
range: Initiatory Society
minimum access level: access-community-only

membership grade
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The grade held by this member.
domain: Membership Record
range: Society Grade
minimum access level: access-initiated-only

membership date
type: DatatypeProperty
comment: Date of initiation into this grade. Community-restricted for historical records.
domain: Membership Record
range: date
minimum access level: access-community-only

title function
type: DatatypeProperty
comment: The ritual, ceremonial, or governance function of this title holder. Initiated-only.
domain: Society Title
range: langString
minimum access level: access-initiated-only

Abakuá
type: Concept
alternative label: Ñáñigos @es
definition: 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).
in scheme: Initiatory Society Types
scope note: 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.

membership title
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A title held by this member within the society.
domain: Membership Record
range: Society Title
minimum access level: access-initiated-only

Ancestral embodiment
type: Concept
definition: The masquerade manifests an ancestral spirit or collective ancestral force. Primary function of Egungun.
in scheme: Masquerade Functions

Masquerade Functions
type: ConceptScheme
has top concept: Ancestral embodiment
has top concept: Communal sanction / enforcement
has top concept: Entertainment / social satire
has top concept: Funerary / transition rites
has top concept: Healing / protective
has top concept: Honoring the mothers
has top concept: Other
has top concept: Society voice / announcement
preferred label: Funciones del enmascarado @es
preferred label: Fonctions du masque @fr
preferred label: Funções da mascarada @pt
preferred label: Àwọn iṣẹ́ ìbòjú @yo

society tradition
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The Afro-Atlantic tradition within which this society operates. Range: iroko:TraditionScheme.
domain: Initiatory Society
range: Concept
minimum access level: access-public-unrestricted

title conferral method
type: ObjectProperty
comment: How this title is conferred: election, hereditary succession, purchase, senior nomination. Range: iroko:TitleConferralScheme.
domain: Society Title
range: Concept
minimum access level: access-community-only

Society voice / announcement
type: Concept
definition: The masquerade carries and communicates the voice or authority of the society. Function of Abakuá íremes and Ékpè masquerades.
in scheme: Masquerade Functions

masquerade function
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The ceremonial function of this masquerade. Range: iroko:MasqueradeFunctionScheme.
domain: Society Masquerade
range: Concept
minimum access level: access-community-only

represented entity
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The ancestral spirit, principle, or force embodied by this masquerade. Range: iroko:SpiritualEntity. Initiated-only: the identity of what a masquerade embodies is esoteric in many traditions.
domain: Society Masquerade
range: SpiritualEntity
minimum access level: access-initiated-only

associated house
type: ObjectProperty
comment: A religious house (iroko:House) with which this society maintains an ongoing ceremonial relationship. In many traditions, society and house membership overlap for senior practitioners.
domain: Initiatory Society
range: House
minimum access level: access-community-only

Funerary / transition rites
type: Concept
definition: The masquerade participates in funerary ceremonies, guiding the deceased or honoring the passing. Abakuá íremes appear at members' funerals.
in scheme: Masquerade Functions

Purchase / fee-based conferral
type: Concept
definition: Title conferred in exchange for a defined payment or contribution to the society. Common in some Ékpè and Abakuá grade structures.
in scheme: Title Conferral Methods

Poro
type: Concept
definition: 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.
in scheme: Initiatory Society Types

grade name
type: DatatypeProperty
comment: The name of the grade in the tradition's language. Community-restricted for active societies.
domain: Society Grade
range: langString
minimum access level: access-community-only

Society Title
type: Class
comment: A named office or titled position within an initiatory society, distinct from grade level. Titles may be elected, inherited, purchased, or conferred. Examples: Iyamba (Abakuá), Isue (Abakuá), Ekueñón (Abakuá), Apetebi Ogboni, Olori Egungun. Each title carries specific ritual functions, insignia, and governance authority. Title names are community-restricted; the ritual functions attached to them are initiated-only.
subclass of: SacredEntity

Consensus / deliberative
type: Concept
definition: Decisions made through deliberation among all members or all senior members without fixed hierarchical authority.
in scheme: Society Governance Structures

society governance structure
type: ObjectProperty
comment: The governance model of this society. Range: iroko:GovernanceStructureScheme.
domain: Initiatory Society
range: Concept
minimum access level: access-community-only

Senior nomination
type: Concept
definition: Title conferred by nomination from existing titleholders or elders.
in scheme: Title Conferral Methods

Hierarchical grade system
type: Concept
definition: Authority flows through a defined sequence of grades; higher grades govern lower. Characteristic of Ékpè, Abakuá, and similar tiered societies.
in scheme: Society Governance Structures

Entertainment / social satire
type: Concept
definition: The masquerade performs entertainment, social commentary, or satire as a secondary function. Often combined with sacred primary functions.
in scheme: Masquerade Functions

Membership Record
type: Class
comment: A record documenting an individual's initiation into and progression through a society. Membership records are among the most sensitive data in this framework: the identity of initiates is strictly guarded by all documented traditions, and their disclosure to outsiders is a serious breach. Default access is no-access; date and grade level may be community-restricted in contexts where historical record-keeping is an accepted practice (e.g., Cuban Abakuá records kept since the 19th century).
subclass of: SacredEntity

Hereditary title succession
type: Concept
definition: Key titles pass within specific families or lineages. Characteristic of some Egungun and Agemo societies.
in scheme: Society Governance Structures

Elected officers
type: Concept
definition: Governance officers are elected by the membership for defined terms. More common in Afro-Atlantic adaptations (Reformed Ogboni Fraternity, some Abakuá mutual aid structures).
in scheme: Society Governance Structures

historical
type: Concept
definition: The society is no longer operating but was not forcibly dissolved — it ceased through natural discontinuity, succession failure, or community decision.
in scheme: Society Status Scheme

Honoring the mothers
type: Concept
definition: The masquerade pays tribute to the power of elder women, ancestresses, and female spiritual authority. Primary function of Gelede.
in scheme: Masquerade Functions

masquerade name
type: DatatypeProperty
comment: The name of the masquerade or masked figure. Community-restricted.
domain: Society Masquerade
range: langString
minimum access level: access-community-only

Ékpè / Ngbe
type: Concept
alternative label: Leopard Society
definition: 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 Afro-Atlantic presence through enslaved Africans in Cuba (Abakuá) and elsewhere. Organized around graded leopard-force initiation; Nsibidi script is associated with Ékpè esoteric communication.
in scheme: Initiatory Society Types
scope note: Ékpè and Abakuá are historically related but institutionally distinct. Use iroko:parentSociety to express the derived relationship.

Other
type: Concept
definition: Masquerade function not covered by existing concepts.
in scheme: Masquerade Functions