Many practitioners of the Yoruba system of Ifa are familiar with the term /egúngún / which is commonly thought to mean “the ancestors.” It should be noted that this is not the meaning of the word. This is an example of a common meaning that was derived by association; it is not through the meaning of the actual word.

The word /egúngún/ extends from the association of “masks and masquerades.” The masks are how the Yoruba try to materialize the spirit of the deceased. The masks become the temporary reappearance on earth of the ancestors. This, however, is a secondary association, not the real meaning. Egúgún is cognate with the Middle Egyptian term /qnqn/ “to beat people.” During the egúngún festivals in Ibadan, people used to beat themselves (or others) in honor of the ancestors. It got to the point where the government had to make illegal the carrying of whips to check the excess.