ijele is a special masquerade in anambra and enugu state, nigeria. it is the king of all masquerades and as such has 45 different other masquerades perform on top of it in the olden days. presently, the 45 masquerades are represented by the 45 figurines seen on top of ijele. the myth and size of ijele is wholesome as every aspect of life is depicted on ijele. it is the climax of all masquerades hence performs alone and mostly last. ijele is a family of 4: the mother; father; police and palm wine taper which will be discussed under the ijele family below.