Egungun is an ongoing Yoruba masking tradition, encompassing many different types of masquerades that are created and performed to honor ancestors and family lines at various ceremonies and celebrations. An egungun ensemble is the medium through which ancestors are channeled into the world of the living. One of many different types of egungun with varied ceremonial roles, paka egungun are characterized by a wooden horizontal bar across the top of the costume, from which the lappets of the costume are suspended, which sits on the masker's head and forms the rectangular shape of the costume. Aside from the beauty of the costume, its lappets are layered with meaning. The many layers, built up over time, the hundreds of fabrics joined together make this egungun a living archive. Egungun is both rooted in a specific place – this particular style is specific to Yoruba culture hailing from Oyo state – and also global in nature, with varied textiles providing a snapshot of the trade of textiles and popular tastes in Nigeria within a global market during the time it was made.
Egungun masquerades, both the garments themselves and their activation, are spiritually significant across African diasporic cultures that continue practice traditional Yoruba religion.