Alekwu (Idoma ancestral masquerade)
Alekwu, the Idoma ancestral masquerade — a deceased father's spirit returning in performance. Textile-based, distinct from the carved Anjenu shrine figure; documented Idoma works in the archive.
Alekwu is the Idoma ancestral masquerade complex, in which the spirit of a qualified deceased father returns in performance form to chant genealogies, enforce moral norms and interact with the living. Unlike most masquerades in the surrounding region, alekwu is predominantly textile-based rather than carved-mask-based; its sub-type alekwu afia performs poetic recitations tracing lineage histories.
The term matters because it names the ritual logic behind Idoma ancestor-related objects and prevents conflation with two other distinct Idoma expressive systems — the carved-mask warrior masquerade (oglinye) and the water-spirit figure cult (anjenu). All three operate within a single cultural sphere but belong to entirely different object and ritual categories.