In Onwuema, the masqueraders purify the community through prayers and offerings to the ancestors. During the Egbukele festival, water spirit masquerades wear headdresses of swordfish, crocodiles, sharks and other predatory aquatic creatures. As with the Kalabari, masquerades are the property of men, and the performers are initiates in a male secret society. In the past, these men's societies had considerable judicial power, but today the entertainment aspect of the masquerade predominates. T he brooms and swords and fans that these performers carry are part of their character.
Swords show power, violence, control, and fans show vanity.
Brooms are tools to sweep away evil. The dancers act out mythological stories as the drummers accompany them. When the dancers move, the moment is caught by the sound of anklets made of dried out seed pods tied in four or five layers. This enables the dancer to add an accompanying rhythm to the main beat. K alabari masquerades sometimes have fat stomachs, seeming as if they are at least seven months pregnant.