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Catalog Data

Photographer:
Ottenberg, Simon  Search this
Collection Photographer:
Ottenberg, Simon  Search this
Extent:
1 Slide (col.)
Culture:
Igbo (African people)  Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Slides
Color slides
Place:
Africa
Nigeria
Date:
1959-1960
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." [Ottenberg field research notes, September 1959-December 1960, Part I].
"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 erewe players, performing in the dancing area. The erewe players are the better and generally older dancers who perform individually as well as in the group. Their characteristic headgear consists of long, black feathers pointing out in different directions from the top of the head, which move about with some freedom. Interspersed with them are shorter feathers dyed a bright pink.
Local Numbers:
309/1959-1960 EEPA 2000-070525
General:
Title source: Dr. Simon Ottenberg, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
Other Archival Materials:
Simon Ottenberg Papers are located at the National Anthropological Archives, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
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.
Topic:
Rites and ceremonies -- Africa  Search this
Clothing and dress -- Africa  Search this
Cultural landscapes  Search this
Masquerades  Search this
Headdresses -- headgear -- Africa  Search this
Masks  Search this
Genre/Form:
Color slides
Identifier:
EEPA.2000-007, Item EEPA 2000-007-0525
See more items in:
Simon Ottenberg photographs
Archival Repository:
Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo7267ef859-e441-4de2-8155-2a26080a36d7
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-eepa-2000-007-ref1033