Prosodic Import of Eha-Amufu Mask Chants

Abstract

Among the Eha-Amufu people of Isi-uzo Local Government Area in Enugu State, the mask institution is a hallowed traditional cult which has many variants in its fold. A notable aspect, the ‘mmonwu’, consists of masquerades which represent the spirits of the dead that come back to the living periodically to perform various roles which largely border on ritual modes. These actuated entities operate mostly in dramatic modes of spectacle; especially the type consisting of chants and entertainment. The mask chants and songs of esoteric and ancient traditional peculiarities form a large part of the people’s cultural needs. Traditional verses rendered by the masquerades contain prosodic elements which although are not exactly intelligible words of the Eha-Amufu dialect, still contain meanings that if well comprehended contribute to a holistic appreciation of the masquerade poetry performance. The important prosodic features are what this work explores; and indeed finds out the otherwise over looked kernels of crucial information in the general versification of this all important aspect of Eha-Amufu traditional performance.