Ritual ceremonies associated with Senufo hunters' society, Boundiali, Ivory Coast

Object Details

Topic: Rites and ceremonies -- Africa; Hunting; Clothing and dress -- Africa

See more items in: Eliot Elisofon Field collection; Eliot Elisofon Field collection / Côte d'Ivoire

Archival Repository: Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

Type: Archival materials; Negatives (photographic); Black-and-white negatives; Negatives

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.

Scope and Contents: "To protect themselves against all the invisible bush spirits, hunters make use of magic. They are organised into hunters' societies in which they learn 'the secrets of the bush'. Each hunters' society has a singer (called a koruu) who performs at ceremonies and also sings songs in praise of the hunter after a successful hunt. Many hunters also have extensive knowledge of medicinal plants, and some of them are renowned as healers." [Veirman Anja,2002: Forms of Wonderment. The art of Living: some aspect of the Art and Culture of the Senufo. Africa Museum, Berg en Dal]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Westinghouse Film and traveled to Africa from October 26, 1970 to end of March 1971.

Collection Restrictions: Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.