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She was the wife of Oranmiyan.  A women of tremendous beauty, and a faithful and zealous supporter of her husband and the Kingdom of Ile Ife.  At this time there were neighboring tribes called Igbo, who were regularly and  successfully raiding the people at and around Ile Ife.  These Igbo were considered to be demi-gods and as such the Ife’s offered sacrifice to their gods in order to prevail, but to no avail. 

Moremi decided upon a strategy.  She went to the nearby stream Esinmirin, and vowed to deity that she would make the greatest sacrifice possible if they allowed her to be successful in her plans.  She then went to a place that was raided frequently, and when the raiders did come she allowed herself to be captured.  Being very beautiful she was taken as booty to the Igbo King.  She was very confident and skillful, and soon won the trust and affection of the King and people in Igbo land.  She became familiar with their customs and tactics of warfare.  So, she was a human Trojan horse of sorts.  She found that the Igbo, in preparation for battle, would cover themselves from head to toe with Ekan grass and bamboo fibers.  She realized that if someone could pass amongst the Igbo warriors with a torch that they could be defeated. 

Feeling that she had adequate knowledge, she escaped, to the great surprise of her Igbo captors.  Knowing the warfare secrets of the Igbo, the people of Ife were forever freed from the terrors of these previously invincible warriors. 

The mask is carved skillfully from local hardwoods, stands 18 inches tall and weights about 7 pounds.