Afikpo pottery for shipment at Ndibe Beach, on the Cross River, Nigeria

Object Details

Local Numbers: 394/1959-1960 EEPA 2000-070606
General: Title source: Dr. Simon Ottenberg, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.

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

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: This photograph was taken by Dr. Simon Ottenberg while conducting field research at Afikpo village-group, southeastern Nigeria, from September 1959 to December 1960.; Original title reads, "Ndibe Beach during the dry season, when water low, and fishermen often live on its sand banks up and down the river. Women carrying pots to be loaded on canoes for down-river trade." [Ottenberg field research notes, September 1959-December 1960, Part I].; "For some Afikpo, fishing is an important seasonal activity, especially in the dry season, when the river is low and it is possible for canoe crews to move about easily and to live on the numerous sandbanks which appear at the time. The Afikpo fishermen spend many months on the river, moving northeast to the border of Cameroun and as far south as the coastal city of Calabar. The Afikpo are very much a trading people. Because they are one of the few Igbo peoples actually living on the river, they are a central point in the redistribution of goods for the region." [Ottenberg S., 1971: Leadership and Authority in an African Society; the Afikpo Village-Group. University of Washington Press].

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

Other Archival Materials: Simon Ottenberg Papers are located at the National Anthropological Archives, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution.