Alapini: The Highest Egúngún Chief

Alapini: The Highest Egúngún Chief

The Alapini holds the esteemed title of the highest Egúngún chief in Òyó town. As the head of all Egúngún, the Alapini oversees all Egúngún activities within the town and plays a significant role in maintaining the cultural heritage associated with the Egúngún tradition.

The position of the Alapini is of utmost importance, to the extent that the Alapini is a key member of the Òyó-Mesi, the executive council of the Alaafin of Òyó. This position is so revered that there can only be one Alapini at any given time. A unique characteristic of the Alapini is that, by the virtue of his office, he must be a monorchris—meaning he must have only one testicle.