Traditional Yoruba myth resounds with practical daily life experiences of women in our contemporary society. Women generally play central roles in the religious and social lives of their communities. Women function as priestesses in ritual ceremonial lineage groups.

Egungun masquerades are male-dominated within the performance aspect and only males are allowed to connect with the spirits in Egungun by transforming into the masked figure. Women are prevalent in creating the materials, dramatizing the performance, singing, dancing and watching.

It is recorded in Odu Irantegbe of Ifa corpus how women were tricked by men who took these powers of Egungun from them and rendered them subordinates in the Egungun cult, which originally belonged to women.

Elders say the separation is necessary because of the dangers of women power.

In frame is IYA OJE of Ipaja-land.