The Babalase is, in the most general terms, the assistant to Iyalase where he will only be appointed with the approval of Iya Nla and the powerful mothers.ДЄbore, or the Male Priest, is an older male official that assists people looking for favors form the aje for their rituals. In line with being the organizer of the Gelede events, he is the official keeper of the Gelede headdresses and costumes. His main function within the Gelede society is the organization of the events for the Gelede festival. Iyalase's main function, outside of a point of communication, is being in charge of the Gelede shrine, Ase, where she is the only one allowed to enter.Д«abalase, the Chief Priest, meaning 'father of the shrine' is the male equivalent of Iyalase. She is the main person of communication between Iya Nla, the community, and the Gelde Society. Iyalase, the Chief Priestess, meaning 'mother of the shrine' is the head of this Gelede society. Though the titles of these various groups and people vary from community to community the following are the most common: To be able to perform the various events within the Gelede festival, the Gelede society appoints officials, groups, and professionals to oversee various aspects within the society. Though men are not as concerned with this issue as women are due to the nature of the Yoruba society and women's roles within it. Men's participation within the masking performances are similarly linked, as participating in the performances could also increase fertility. This is in part because of its connection to motherhood and mothers, but also due to the belief that participation within this society helps in the fertility of the women. With its connection to Iya Nla, or the Great Mother, the Gelede society has a large number of female members. The Gelede festival promotes social harmony, because of this both men and women are involved within the society. Another theory states that the beginning of Gelede might be associated with the change from a matriarchal to a patriarchal society. This narrative is one of many stories that explains the origin of Gelede. These rituals developed into the Gelede masked dance and was perpetuated by the descendants of Efe and Gelede.

No sooner than Efe and Gelede performed these rituals - dancing with wooden images on their heads and metal anklets on their feet - they started having children. The Ifa oracle suggested they try the same ritual that had worked for their mother. Also like her mother, Gelede loved dancing.ДЄfter getting married themselves, neither Gelede or Efe's partner could have children. Yemoja's second child was a girl, nicknamed 'Gelede' because she was obese like her mother. Her first child was a boy, nicknamed 'Efe' (the humorist) the Efe mask emphasizes song and jests because of the personality of its namesake. After performing this ritual, she became pregnant. An ese Ifa explains the origins of Gelede as beginning with Yemoja, 'The Mother of all the orisa and all living things.' Yemoja could not have children and consulted an Ifa oracle, who advised her to offer sacrifices and to dance with wooden images on her head and metal anklets on her feet. A typical ese Ifa is a narrative about a person or animal with a problem and the steps to resolve that problem. There are approximately 256 Odu Ifa, each of which contains a number of poems called ese Ifa. Most Yoruba myths of origin can be found in the divination narratives knows at Odu Ifa. The mythological origins are directly connected to Iya Nla, or the Great Mother, and her connection to motherhood and twins. When the brother caught wind of the plan he came up with a counter plan that involved creating a mask and a makeshift person as a deception. One brother, after learning that he wasn't going to get the throne came up with a plan to kill his twin. Ketu, one of the oldest and most elaborate of the Gelede performances has an origin story of a king dying and his two twin sons both vying for the throne. The historical origins are linked to three possible places, Old Oyo, Ketu, and Ilobi. There are two main schools of thought about the origins of Gelede, the historical and the mythological. In other words, life is delicate and should be lived with caution and with an emphasis on diplomacy, consideration, respect and harmony. The Gelede social agenda rests on the Yoruba maxim Eso l'aye (The world is fragile).

1 Gelede in the context of Yoruba belief.

Eso perform the ritual