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 caption reads, "Nne Mgbe masker." [Ottenberg field research notes, September 1959-December 1960, Part I].
Publication caption reads, "Ori dancer with nne Mgbo mask, Mgbom village okumkpa, 1960."
"Okumpka, the most elaborate masquerade found at Afikpo Village-Group, is the most popular and well attended Afikpo masked ritual. It consists of a series of skits, songs, and dances presented by masked players in the main common of a village during of an afternoon or evening. The play is closely associated with the village secret society; all players are society members, and all wear wooden masks and costumes." [ Ottenberg, 1975: Masked rituals of Afikpo, the context of an African art; Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1975].
The photograph depicts ori dancer with nne mgbo mask. Although it is occasionally worn at the okumkpa play with the dark raffia ori costume to portray a woman in one of the skits, it is also one of the favorite masks worn by young adult males, who come out and dance individually between skits and serve as an important and clearly male group.
Local Numbers:
367/1959-1960
EEPA 2000-070580
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.
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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.
