Object Details
- Local Numbers
- F 2 ASH 5 EE 70
- General
- Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
- Local Note
- 12
- Frame value is 22.
- Slide No. F 2 ASH 5 EE 70
- Photographer
- Elisofon, Eliot
- Collection Photographer
- Elisofon, Eliot
- Place
- Africa
- Ghana
- Topic
- Dance
- Religious buildings
- Shrines
- Rites and ceremonies -- Africa
- Animals -- Africa
- Reptiles
- Photographer
- Elisofon, Eliot
- Culture
- Asante (African people)
- See more items in
- Eliot Elisofon Field collection
- Eliot Elisofon Field collection / Ghana
- Extent
- 1 Slides (photographs) (col.)
- Date
- 1970
- Archival Repository
- Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art
- Identifier
- EEPA.1973-001, Item EEPA EECL 4660
- Type
- Archival materials
- Slides (photographs)
- Color slides
- Collection Citation
- Eliot Elisofon Field Collection, EEPA 1973-001, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution
- Collection Rights
- Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
- Genre/Form
- Color slides
- Scope and Contents
- "Similar to a typical traditional Asante courtyard house, a shrine house or 'Obosomfie' is made up of 4 buildings enclosing a central courtyard or 'gyase'. Three of the buildings are open to the courtyard with raised floors. One of these is reserved for the drummers; another room is used by the singers; the third open room is used as a cooking area where ceremonial meals were regularly prepared to be partaken of by the gods. The fourth building, housing the shrine, is closed by decorated walls or intricate open-work screen walls. The entry to this room is usually strictly restricted to the priest and his attendants. In their communication with mankind, the 'abosom' or tutelary spirits, require a medium. This function is carried out by priests known as 'akomfo' (sing. okomfo). These have the ability to become possessed by their 'obossom' (pl. abossom) and, by so doing, act as the mouthpiece of the god, offering advice or prophesying the future." [Asante Traditional Buildings. World Heritage. A Ghana Museums and Monuments Publication]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon traveled to Africa from March 17, 1970 to July 17, 1970.
- Collection Restrictions
- Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
- Record ID
- ebl-1536870822481-1536871014382-1
