About Yoruba Gelede Mask
The Gelede masquerade honors iya nla — the great mothers — through hand-carved iroko-wood headdresses painted in mineral pigments. This design system translates that material vocabulary into digital form: terracotta ochre grounds, kaolin-white surfaces, indigo cloth accents, and warm condensed type that echoes carved-wood poster vernacular. Every element carries the documentary weight of Ketu festival tradition rather than decorative abstraction.
- Origin
- Yorubaland — Ketu kingdom (Republic of Benin), Western Nigeria
- Era
- 18th century origins; UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage 2001; continuous through 2024
- Key figures
- Babatunde Lawal · Henry John Drewal · Margaret Thompson Drewal
- Movements
- West African masquerade tradition · Yoruba religious visual culture · African-art-as-modernism reception
Yoruba Gelede Mask design spec
Colors
Background
Surface
Primary
Secondary
Accent
Text
Typography
AntonHeadings
Cormorant GaramondBody
Courier PrimeMono
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