Object Details
- Local Numbers
- 324/1959-1960 EEPA 2000-070540
- 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
- Cultural landscapes
- Masquerades
- Clothing and dress -- 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 2000-007-0540
- 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. [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 Okonkwo dance presented on the the market day, aho, 9 January 1960 in the Eastern Igbo community of Oha Nwego Village, in neighboring Okpoha Village-Group. Dr. Ottenberg was conducting field research at Afikpo village-group, southeastern Nigeria, from September 1959 to December 1960.
- Original caption reads, "Okpoha Ngodo performance at Okpoha Village-Group, an Igbo village-group northwest of Afikpo, related to it historically. Dancing counterclockwise as usual for Igbo and other Africans. The mask is similar to the Afikpo mma ji (knife-ham) or mma ubi (knife-farm) except at Afikpo the top knife part is straight, here it is curved back toward the dancer's head. Note the plastic waist beads, normally worn by girls before initiation and marriage at their waists." [Ottenberg field research notes, September 1959-December 1960, Part I].
- "Okonkwo, also called okpoha ngodo, is a dance of young adult men wearing wooden masks and costumes something like those of the akparakpa dancers in the okumkpa, who perform to the music of a xylophone, basket rattles, and in some cases a wooden gong. The xylophone (igeri or akware) is in the center of the common. Composed of nine boards, without calabashes underneath, it is colored orange, black and white, with red, black, and white spots on it. There was a human figure at the end. The xylophone was played by two musicians wearing white-faced masks looking something like the nne mgbo mask. When the musicians commenced to play, the dancers formed a line and moved about counterclockwise." [ Ottenberg, 1975: Masked rituals of Afikpo, the context of an African art; Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1975].
- Collection Restrictions
- Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
- Record ID
- ebl-1536864686513-1536864686801-0
