ocr: Dancera sometimes impersonate women. They often go through long periods oftraining to gain the knowledge and privilege ofj performing a specific masquerade. Once in costume, the masqueraders mimic the personality, dance steps, and musical accompaniments appropriate to their character. Among the Yoruba people in Nigeria, where this early twentieth-century snail-shell costume comes from, there are several kinds of masquerade performances. Once a year the masquerade called Egungun, features masqueraders who represent ancestors, as well as other 216