Object Details
- Local Numbers
- 312/1959-1960 EEPA 2000-070528
- General
- Title source: Dr. Simon Ottenberg, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
- Photographer
- Ottenberg, Simon
- Collection Photographer
- Ottenberg, Simon
- Place
- Africa
- Nigeria
- Topic
- Rites and ceremonies -- Africa
- Clothing and dress -- Africa
- Cultural landscapes
- Masquerades
- Headdresses -- headgear -- Africa
- Masks
- Photographer
- Ottenberg, Simon
- Culture
- Igbo (African people)
- See more items in
- Simon Ottenberg photographs
- Extent
- 1 Slide (col.)
- Date
- 1959-1960
- Custodial History
- Donated by Simon Ottenberg, 2000.
- Archival Repository
- Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art
- Identifier
- EEPA.2000-007, Item EEPA 2000-007-0528
- Type
- Archival materials
- Slides
- Color slides
- 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.
- Bibliography
- Masked rituals of Afikpo, the context of an African art; Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1975. Fig. 62, p.176. [published in connection with an exhibition shown at the Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, May 24-June 21, 1975].
- Genre/Form
- Color slides
- Scope and Contents
- This photograph was taken by Dr. Simon Ottenberg at the Oje Ogwu ceremony presented on the eke day of 3 January 1960 in the main common of Ukpa Village. Dr. Ottenberg was conducting field research at Afikpo village-group, southeastern Nigeria, from September 1959 to December 1960.
- Original caption reads, "Oje Ogwu ceremony at Ukpa Village. Note the different styles of dresses. String netted masks. Musicians wearing the same, some with dry leaves, some with fresh ones, some with feathers, some without. Some use porcupine quills. Ebi is what dress called if wear porcupine quills, okpu ebuba (hat-feather) is what call other musicians with feathers in hats. Costume called ebulu." [Ottenberg field research notes, September 1959-December 1960, Part I].
- Publication title reads, "Ebulu player at Ukpa oje ogwu dance."
- "Oje Ogwu is a play performed in only a few common villages each year. It is a net-masked dance of about thirty players accompanied by musicians also wearing net face coverings. Most of the Ezi Akane secret society members from the age group of boys and young men took part in the actual rehearsals and performances. The Oje Ogwu dance is simpler than the Okumkpa play or the Njenji masked parade. It takes a short period of time to perform and is based on only a few contrastive elements. There are the three types of costumes, each of which has special movements and activities associated with it. The Oje Ogwu is not particularly associated with a specific festival, but rather with a season." [ Ottenberg, 1975: Masked rituals of Afikpo, the context of an African art; Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1975].
- The photograph depicts ebulu player wearing net mask and headgear. The ebulu players are the poorer and generally younger dancers who move only as a dancing group. Their costumes involve a similar body costume and net mask to the erewe, but the headpiece differs. On the head is worn a red cloth, which is peaked and surrounded by feathers, more vertically oriented.
- Collection Restrictions
- Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
- Record ID
- ebl-1536864686513-1536864686798-3
