L. Oyewole Arohunmolase
Adeyemi College of Education





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Spirit Possession, Music, Dance and Drama in Historical Perspective in the Annual Egba Festival at Ikakumo Aworonke, Akoko North-East, Ondo State, Nigeria

Ikakumo-Aworonke is a town in Akoko North-East, Local Government Council, Ondo State, Nigeria. According to Aminu (1971:10), Ikakumo-Aworonke was founded between 1486 and 1793. Ikakumo-Aworonke is related to such towns as Ayanran, Ikakumo-Olayele, in the present Akoko-Edo Local Government Council, Edo State, Auga and Ise in Akoko North-East, Local Government, Ondo State. All these five towns are said to have migrated from Ile-Ife through Benin-City to Ayanran hill (former Kukuruku hills) and they later migrated to their various settlements as we now find them today. They speak varieties of the same language. This paper examined spirit possession, music, dance and drama in the annual Egba festival at Ikakumo-Aworonke, Akoko North-East, Local Government, Ondo State, Nigeria

It was revealed that, there were various theatrical qualities of the cult in Egba behaviour in those possessed and thosse who want to be possessed of the spirit of Egba. It was also observed that all the people who were initiated into Egba fold by spirit possession on the day of Egba festival spoke in an unknown language which Aminu (1971) regarded as an Edo Language. Adelugba (1981:203) is of the view that, there is an immense literature on spirit mediumship, spirit possession, shamanism and related phenomena, but, that all these relate to societies outside Africa, particularly Asia and North America. This study adds to the existing works on spirit possession, dance and drama, particularly in an indigeneous Yoruba Society.