Meji, the double faced mask. Eleru, or head with a superstructure. This headdress has various topics such as the Ritual Bowl Carrier, occupations, religion, portraits, and satire. Followed by the Onidofoyi headdress, or the two human heads connected by snakes mask. The Ori Eye or bird head mask and the Ori Eranko, or the animal head mask. Individuals or families will usually go to any length to make their headdresses as attractive and humorous as possible. The endless variety of the motifs and their combinations makes it difficult to attempt to construct a typology of Gelede headdresses. Most of the headdresses have facial adornments, ranging from lineage marks to decorative tattoos, which are either incised or painted. Babatunde Lawal writes: "The headdress is to the costume what the head (ori) is to the human body. It is an index of identification and the essence of the masker's personality as long as he is inside the mask. In spite of the comical representations that often appear on the headdress, the face below the superstructure remains serene, as if stressing the paradox that is life - and the need to live life with special care." The Costumes of the Gelede performance directly relate to the connection of women and motherhood of the society. Consisting of a baby sash, breasts, buttocks, metal anklets, colored panels, a horsetail whisk, and a fan, the materials of the Gelede costumes have various connotations. For example, the baby sash represents a breast feeding mother while also being a support within the costume itself. The daytime performances of the Gelede festival are more elaborate and colorful compared to the nighttime performances, with the exception of the Efe costume. This is because during the nighttime performances the costumes are harder to see, so it would be counterproductive to have really elaborate costumes that wouldn't be seen. References Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity Yoruba art Yoruba culture Yoruba religion Nigerian art Masquerade ceremonies in Africa