A team of maritime archaeologists working in the Lagos Lagoon has recovered rare fragments of wooden headpieces and raffia fibers that closely resemble the regalia used in modern Eyo festivals. Radiocarbon dating places these artifacts in the 1st century CE, suggesting that the tradition of white-clad masquerades representing ancestral spirits is significantly older than previously recorded in colonial-era journals.
The findings include remnants of ceremonial staffs known as Opambata, which were found preserved in the anaerobic mud of the lagoon. This discovery provides a tangible link between contemporary Yoruba cultural expressions and ancient coastal ritual practices centered around the honoring of the "Adamun Orisha" deities.