Search Results

Creator:

Smithsonian Magazine  Search this

Type:

Sound recordings

Podcast

MIME Type:

audio/mpeg

Uploaded:

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST

Topic:

Inventions  Search this

Innovations  Search this

See more episodes:

Smithsonian magazine's Museum Day September 25th 2010

Data Source:

Smithsonian Magazine

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:podcasts_e96d4c177d8fdb7ed961188518b06d1a

Author:

Babatunde, Emmanuel D  Search this

Smithsonian Libraries African Art Index Project DSI  Search this

Type:

Articles

Place:

Benin

Date:

1988

Topic:

Gelede (Yoruba rite)  Search this

Gelede dance  Search this

Cross-dressing in art  Search this

Ketu masquerades  Search this

Masks, Yoruba  Search this

Call number:

GN654.A4 T332

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_514042

Donor Name:

Charles C. Roberts  Search this

Culture:

Yoruba  Search this

Object Type:

Idiophone

Place:

Nigeria, Africa

Accession Date:

23 Jan 1931

Topic:

Ethnology  Search this

Accession Number:

113132

USNM Number:

E349705-0

See more items in:

Anthropology

Data Source:

NMNH - Anthropology Dept.

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3e516e9af-7fc8-45c3-b8f2-4a3e56a5dfe7

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmnhanthropology_8403153

Artist, curator:

Layiwola, Peju 1967-  Search this

Editor:

Oloko, Patrick  Search this

Type:

Books

Place:

Nigeria, Western

Western Nigeria

Date:

2121

Topic:

Clothing  Search this

Textile fabrics, Yoruba  Search this

Resist-dyed textiles  Search this

Textiles et tissus yoruba  Search this

Adire  Search this

Yoruba (African people)--Clothing  Search this

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_1158467

Author:

Law, Robin  Search this

Smithsonian Libraries African Art Index Project DSI  Search this

Subject:

Hess, Jean 1862-1926 L'âme nègre  Search this

Johnson, Samuel -1901 History of the Yorubas  Search this

Type:

Articles

Sources

Place:

Oyo Empire

Date:

2016

Topic:

Origin  Search this

Kings and rulers  Search this

History  Search this

Historiography  Search this

Call number:

DT19 .S67 2016

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_1100659

Author:

Adandé, Alexandre Sènou 1913-1993  Search this

Smithsonian Libraries African Art Index Project DSI  Search this

Subject:

Vodun (Cult)  Search this

Type:

Articles

Place:

Benin

Date:

1953

Topic:

Corn  Search this

Granaries  Search this

Cooking (Corn)  Search this

Food  Search this

Corn--Religious aspects  Search this

Corn--Social aspects  Search this

Call number:

QH3 .B936

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_753156

Creator:

Simpson, George Eaton, 1904-1998  Search this

Photographer:

Ramsey, Frederic, 1915-1995  Search this

Extent:

521 Prints (silver gelatin)

90 Negatives (photographic) (acetate)

70 Lantern slides

347 Negatives (photographic) (nitrate)

185 Color slides

4 Prints (Kodachrome color)

Culture:

Haitians  Search this

Trinidadians  Search this

Yoruba (African people)  Search this

Jamaicans  Search this

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Prints

Negatives (photographic)

Lantern slides

Color slides

Photographs

Place:

Trinidad

Ibadan (Nigeria)

Haiti

Jamaica

Date:

1936-1987

Scope and Contents note:

The collection documents George Eaton Simpson's fieldwork in Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad, and Nigeria from 1936-1964. There are 704 images in several formats including negatives, prints, and slides. The photographs were primarily made by Simpson, but a few were made by Frederic Ramsey, Jr. Ramsey's prints are stamped on verso with his name. Many prints and slides are annotated by Simpson.

The collection also includes a few reprints of articles based on Simpson's field work and words and musical transcription from Savalou Ricourt, a musician of Port au Prince in 1937.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into six series:

1. Haiti, 1936-1937

2. Jamaica, 1953, 1957

3. Trinidad, 1960

4. Nigeria, 1964

5. Lantern slides, undated

6. Publications, 1940-1987

Biographical/Historical note:

George Eaton Simpson (1904-1998) was an anthropologist whose focus was the various social aspects of Caribbean religions. He wrote over 60 articles and books, and taught sociology and anthropology at Oberlin College from 1947-1971.

Born in Knoxville, Iowa, Simpson received his B.S. from Coe College in 1926, his M.A. from the University of Missouri in 1927, and his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1934. In 1947 he began teaching at Oberlin College in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. In addition to teaching classes, Simpson served on numerous committees and as department chair.

Simpson conducted fieldwork in the Caribbean, specifically Haiti, Jamaica and Trinidad, and Nigeria. He focused primarily on Caribbean religions such as Vodun in Haiti, Rastafarianism in Jamaica, and the Spiritual Baptists in Trinidad. His fieldwork has been documented in numerous articles and books, including "The Vodun Service in Northern Haiti", "The Shango Cult in Nigeria and Trinidad", and Black Religions in the New World. He occasionally collaborated on articles with fellow anthropologists Joseph G. Moore and J. Milton Yinger. He also served as a visiting professor at several leading universities.

He was the recipient of numerous honors and awards including the Wellcome Medal for Anthropological Research, the Anisfield-Wolf Award in Race Relations (with J. Milton Yinger), Doctor of Humane Letters – Oberlin College, and Doctor of Humane Letters – Coe College.

Local Call Number(s):

NAA Photo Lot 93-14

Related Materials:

Additional photographs from Simpson are held in National Anthropological Archives Photo Lot 2001-24.

The George Eaton Simpson Film Study of Plaisance, Haiti, 1937, accession No. 92.12.1 in the Smithsonian Institution Human Film Studies Archives contains silent black and white film footage of Plaisance, Haiti shot by Simpson and his colleagues. The footage contains events also depicted in the photograph collection including work coumbites, marketplace scenes, a wedding ceremony, a funeral, drumming and dancing at a social gathering, and a dancing demonstration. Included in this accession are 21 audiotapes recorded by Simpson and Joseph G. Moore during their fieldwork in Jamaica and Trinidad.

The Joseph G. Moore Collection: Jamaican Revival and Kumina, 1957-1958, accession No. 92.1.1 in the Smithsonian Institution Human Film Studies Archives contains related material to Simpson's study of Jamaican Revival Zion and Kumina. The collection contains film footage of Morant Bay and West Kingston, Jamaica shot in 1957. The footage was originally intended for the "Odyssey" program or possibly a short feature. Some of the it ended up being featured on the CBS program "Lamp Unto My Feet" which also includes interviews with Joseph G. Moore and George Eaton Simpson. There is over 10 hours of footage, and in 1992 Simpson, Smithsonian Institution Human Film Studies Archives Director John Homiak, and research associate Ken Bilby recorded approximately 10 hours of commentary about the footage. This collection also contains audio recordings made in 1993 of a discussion between Simpson, Homiak, and Bilby concerning the relation of Jamaican Revival with Rastafari.

Sound recordings by Simpson held in the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections in the Folkways Records Collection and the Moses and Frances Asch Collection.

Oberlin College has a manuscript collection of George Eaton Simpson's papers (RG 30/64) that document Simpson's research and academic work.

Provenance:

The collection was donated to the National Anthropoligical Archives by George E. Simpson in 1992.

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

Access to the collection requires an appointment.

The negatives are in cold storage and require advanced notice to access.

Rights:

Contact the repository for terms of use.

Topic:

Dwellings  Search this

Spiritual Baptist -- Trinidad and Tobago  Search this

Orisha religion  Search this

Revivals  Search this

Rastafari movement  Search this

Voodooism  Search this

Schools  Search this

Agriculture  Search this

Fishing  Search this

Markets  Search this

Garifuna (Caribbean people)  Search this

Dance  Search this

Medicine  Search this

Cooking  Search this

Drummers (Musicians)  Search this

Christian sects  Search this

Religion  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Lantern slides

Citation:

Photo Lot 93-14, George Eaton Simpson photographs, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

Identifier:

NAA.PhotoLot.93-14

See more items in:

George Eaton Simpson photographs

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/nw32ecd25e2-dd4c-4949-bc7d-18089b72a92d

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-naa-photolot-93-14

Photographer:

Evans, Walker, 1903-1975  Search this

Extent:

225 Photographic prints (silver gelatin (3 boxes), black & white, 8 x 10 in.)

Container:

Box 1

Box 2

Box 3

Culture:

Mpongwe (African people)  Search this

Mende (African people)  Search this

Mama (African people)  Search this

Lumbu  Search this

Yoruba (African people)  Search this

Punu (African people)  Search this

Kuba (African people)  Search this

Boki (African people)  Search this

Asante (African people)  Search this

Dogon (African people)  Search this

Baule (African people)  Search this

Ijo (African people)  Search this

Fang (West African people)  Search this

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographic prints

Black-and-white photographs

Place:

Africa

Nigeria

Côte d'Ivoire

Date:

1935

Summary:

Peoples and kingdoms whose art works are shown include the Asante, Baule, Benin, Boki, Dogon, Fang (Pahouin), Ijo, Kuba, Lumbu, Mama, Mende, Mpongwe, Punu and Yoruba. Objects depicted include garments, doors, fly whisks, gold weights, headrests, jewelry, masks, musical instrument such as bells and rhythym pounders, power figures, pipes, staff finials, stools and wood sculptures of men and women.

Biographical/Historical note:

Walker Evans, 1903-1975, photographer and educator. Studied at Williams College in 1923 and the Sorbonne in Paris in 1926, worked as a photographer for the Farm Security administration from 1935 to 1937, worked as a contributing editor to Time magazine from 1943 to 1945, and served as an associate editor and staff photographer at Fortune magazine from 1946 to 1965. Mr. Evans also taught graphic arts at Yale University and served as artist-in-residence at Dartmouth College.

General note:

Images indexed by negative number.

Restrictions:

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

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:

Art objects  Search this

Genre/Form:

Black-and-white photographs

Photographic prints

Identifier:

EEPA.1985-010

See more items in:

Walker Evans photographs

Archival Repository:

Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo77773fd1f-a9ce-4f87-b46f-a45e7c2568a3

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-eepa-1985-010

Author:

Asikiwe, Jade  Search this

Physical description:

ix, 153 pages 21 cm

Type:

Books

Date:

2021

Topic:

Orishas  Search this

Religion  Search this

Orisha religion  Search this

Orisha  Search this

Yoruba (Peuple d'Afrique)--Religion  Search this

Orisha (Religion)  Search this

Yoruba (African people)--Religion  Search this

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_1146757

Creator:

Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage  Search this

Names:

Smithsonian Folklife Festival  Search this

Extent:

1 Cubic foot (approximate)

Culture:

Afro-Caribbean cults  Search this

Yoruba (African people)  Search this

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Business records

Sound recordings

Slides (photographs)

Contracts

Notes

Digital images

Memorandums

Plans (drawings)

Audiotapes

Audiocassettes

Negatives

Photographic prints

Videotapes

Correspondence

Video recordings

Place:

Caribbean Area

Haiti

Jamaica

Virgin Islands

Costa Rica

Panama

Colombia

Gabon, -- Ngounié, -- Samba

Date:

October 8-13, 1980

Summary:

The Smithsonian Institution Festival of American Folklife, held annually since 1967 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was renamed the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 1998. The materials collected here document the planning, production, and execution of the annual Festival, produced by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (1999-present) and its predecessor offices (1967-1999). An overview of the entire Festival records group is available here: Smithsonian Folklife Festival records.

Scope and Contents note:

This collection documents the planning, production, and execution of the 1980 Festival of American Folklife. Materials may include photographs, audio recordings, motion picture film and video recordings, notes, production drawings, contracts, memoranda, correspondence, informational materials, publications, and ephemera. Such materials were created during the Festival on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., as well as in the featured communities, before or after the Festival itself.

Arrangement note:

Arranged in 7 series.

Missing Title

Series 1: Program Books, Festival Publications, and Ephemera

Series 2: American Talkers

Series 3: Caribbean Americans

Series 4: Community Activities and Food Preservation

Series 5: Finnish Americans

Series 6: Folk Housing and Energy Efficiency

Series 7: Southeast Asian Americans

Historical note:

The Festival of American Folklife, held annually since 1967 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was renamed the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 1998.

The 1980 Festival of American Folklife was produced by the Smithsonian Office of Folklife Programs and cosponsored by the National Park Service.

For more information, see Smithsonian Folklife Festival records.

Introduction:

The 1980 Festival was the third to use "community" as its over-arching theme, and the last to be held in October. As with recent Festivals, it was held on a site on the National Mall later to be occupied by the National Museum of African American History and Culture, between 14th and 15th Streets and between Constitution Avenue and Madison Drive (see site plan). It was also the first to be organized by the newly-established Office of Folklife Programs (1980-1992), successor to the former Folklife Program of the Office of American and Folklife Studies (1977-1980). The indoor programming in several museums that had characterized the 1977-1979 Festivals was discontinued and all activities were held outdoors.

When families and community groups gather to celebrate or to mourn, Festival Director Ralph Rinzler observed in the program book, they depend on traditional flavors, sounds, dances, and prayers to reinforce their sense of belonging, their group strength and cultural identity. At the annual Folklife Festival, the Smithsonian acknowledged the power of these traditions, which recall the value that Americans continue to place on being members of groups - familial, occupational, ethnic, regional, and religious. Festival organizers considered this recognition a step in the process of cultural conservation, in the belief that cultural variety, on a national and on a global scale, makes life itself more rewarding. Community and identity thus served as the twin poles around which Festival programs were organized.

The 1980 Festival (October 8-13) included a Caribbean Carnival with steel band and calypso competitions; Finnish Americans from northern Minnesota demonstrating a traditional "whip-sled" for children and such crafts as making Christmas tree ornaments from wood shavings; Southern carpenters building a traditional "dog trot" house; Southeast Asians demonstrating weaving, embroidery, stone carving, calligraphy; among others. The Festival asserted that rootedness is a tangible part of the fascination with history, our own or our country's or that of some distant place. This was seen as a part of life that everyone should value, and so the Festival not only celebrated customs and ways of doing things, but evoked the pride of being someone from somewhere. The 1980 Program Book provided information on each of the programs.

The 1980 Festival was again co-presented by the Smithsonian Institution and National Park Service, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Music Performance Trust Funds. It was organized by the Office of Folklife Programs.

Folklife Advisory Council

Wilcomb E. Washburn, Chairman, Roger Abrahams, Richard Ahlborn, Richard Dorson, William Fitzhugh, Lloyd Herman, Robert Laughlin, Scott Odell, Ralph Rinzler, Peter Seitel, Richard Sorenson, Thomas Vennum

Office of Folklife Programs

Ralph Rinzler, Director; Richard Derbyshire, Archivist; Susan Kalcik, Folklorist; Jeffrey LaRiche, Program Coordinator; Jack Santino, Folklorist; Peter Seitel, Senior Folklorist; Thomas Vennum, Ethnomusicologist; Steve Zeitlin, Folklorist

National Park Service

Russell E. Dickenson, Director; Manus J. Fish, Jr., Regional Director, National Capital Region

Fieldworkers and presenters:

Steve Addiss, John W. Berquist, Charley Camp, Amy Catlin, Dennis Coelho, Héctor Corporán, Amanda Dargan, Richard Flint, Marjorie Hunt, Geraldine Johnson, Fred Lieberman, Howard Marshall, Von Martin, Maxine Miska, Bill Moore, Elliott Parris, Leslie Prosterman, Arthur Rosenbaum, Jack Santino, Marta Schley, Katherine Williams, Margaret Yocom, Steven Zeitlin

Shared Stewardship of Collections:

The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage acknowledges and respects the right of artists, performers, Folklife Festival participants, community-based scholars, and knowledge-keepers to collaboratively steward representations of themselves and their intangible cultural heritage in media produced, curated, and distributed by the Center. Making this collection accessible to the public is an ongoing process grounded in the Center's commitment to connecting living people and cultures to the materials this collection represents. To view the Center's full shared stewardship policy, which defines our protocols for addressing collections-related inquiries and concerns, please visit https://doi.org/10.25573/data.21771155.

Forms Part Of:

Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1980 Festival of American Folklife forms part of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival records .

Smithsonian Folklife Festival records

Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: Papers

1967 Festival of American Folklife records - [Ongoing]

Related Archival Materials note:

Within the Rinzler Archives, related materials may be found in various collections such as the Ralph Rinzler papers and recordings, the Lily Spandorf drawings, the Diana Davies photographs, the Robert Yellin photographs, and the Curatorial Research, Programs, and Projects collection. Additional relevant materials may also be found in the Smithsonian Institution Archives concerning the Division of Performing Arts (1966-1983), Folklife Program (1977-1980), Office of Folklife Programs (1980-1991), Center for Folklife Programs and Cultural Studies (1991-1999), Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage (1999-present), and collaborating Smithsonian units, as well as in the administrative papers of key figures such as the Secretary and respective deputies. Users are encouraged to consult relevant finding aids and to contact Archives staff for further information.

Restrictions:

Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.

Rights:

Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.

Topic:

Food habits  Search this

Folklore  Search this

Folk art  Search this

arts and crafts  Search this

World music  Search this

Folk festivals  Search this

Folk music  Search this

Afro-Caribbeans  Search this

Santeria  Search this

Rumba (Dance)  Search this

Reggae music  Search this

Rastafarians  Search this

Carnivals  Search this

Genre/Form:

Business records

Sound recordings

Slides (photographs)

Contracts

Notes

Digital images

Memorandums

Plans (drawings)

Audiotapes

Audiocassettes

Negatives

Photographic prints

Videotapes

Correspondence

Video recordings

Citation:

Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1980 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

CFCH.SFF.1980

See more items in:

Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1980 Festival of American Folklife

Archival Repository:

Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/bk527808409-1b6d-47a7-b10a-cd935c49fd29

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-cfch-sff-1980

Author:

Tetkowski, Neil 1955-  Search this

Price, Mary Sue Sweeney  Search this

Lawal, Babatunde 1942-  Search this

Newark Museum  Search this

Karl and Helen Burger Gallery  Search this

Subject:

Newark Museum  Search this

Physical description:

44 pages color illustrations, color map 28 cm

Type:

Exhibitions

Expositions

Exhibition catalogs

Place:

Nigeria

New Jersey

Newark

Date:

2012

20th century

20e siècle

Topic:

Art, Yoruba  Search this

Beadwork  Search this

Art yoruba  Search this

Broderie de perles  Search this

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_1154255

Photographer:

Drewal, Henry John  Search this

Kinnoudo, Martin  Search this

Extent:

1425 Slides (photographs) (color, 35mm)

20 Notebooks (2 Boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Slides (photographs)

Notebooks

Newspaper clippings

Place:

Nigeria

Benin

Senegal

Côte d'Ivoire

Ife (Nigeria)

Date:

1970s - 1990s

Content Description:

Collection contains 35mm slides from the Republic of Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, and Senegal as well as 20 original field notebooks from Nigeria and various miscellaneous documents, newspaper articles, and photographs from Nigeria.

Restrictions:

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

Rights:

Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. Copyright held by John and Margaret Drewal. To publish images from this collection, permission must be given by Henry and Margaret Drewal. Contact Archives staff for further information. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Topic:

Anthropologists  Search this

Art -- History  Search this

Art -- African  Search this

Festivals  Search this

Yoruba (African people) -- Nigeria -- Music.  Search this

Gelede (Yoruba rite)  Search this

Genre/Form:

Notebooks

Newspaper clippings

Identifier:

EEPA.2011-012

Archival Repository:

Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo7403f23e1-8267-4f6c-a207-5d632092696b

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-eepa-2011-012

Author:

Apter, Andrew H (Andrew Herman)  Search this

Physical description:

x, 206 pages illustrations 24 cm

Type:

Books

Place:

Atlantic Ocean Region

Atlantique, Région de l'

Pays étrangers

Nigeria, Southwest

Nigeria (Sud-Ouest)

Southwest Nigeria

Date:

2018

Topic:

Yoruba (African people)--Religion  Search this

African diaspora  Search this

Cults  Search this

Orisha religion  Search this

Yoruba (Peuple d'Afrique)--Religion  Search this

Africains  Search this

Orisha (Religion)  Search this

15.85 history of America  Search this

HISTORY / Africa / East  Search this

HISTORY / Americas (North, Central, South, West Indies)  Search this

SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Cultural & Social  Search this

SOCIAL SCIENCE / Black Studies (Global)  Search this

Religion  Search this

Religionsethnologie  Search this

Afroamerikanischer Synkretismus  Search this

Kreolisierung  Search this

Ethnogenese  Search this

Verwandtschaft  Search this

Theoriendynamik  Search this

Kosmologie  Search this

Candomblé  Search this

Wodu  Search this

Sklaverei  Search this

Yoruba  Search this

Data Source:

Smithsonian Libraries

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:siris_sil_1155814

Photographer:

Houlberg, Marilyn  Search this

Extent:

6567 Slides (photographs) (11 Binders, color)

14 Documents (1 Binder)

1,946 Slides (Color, 35 mm)

Culture:

Yoruba (African people)  Search this

Nigerians  Search this

Tuaregs  Search this

Fulani  Search this

Nuba  Search this

Igbo (African people)  Search this

Turkana  Search this

Pokot  Search this

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Slides (photographs)

Documents

Slides

Color slides

Photographic prints

Photographs

Place:

Nigeria

Africa

Lagos (Nigeria)

Date:

1961-circa 2005

Summary:

The collection consists of 8,515 color slides taken by Dr. Marilyn Houlberg during various field studies among the Yoruba in southwest Nigeria between 1961 and circa 2007. The images depict Yoruba art and culture with a special focus on artisans, art objects, body arts, costume, festivals, hairstyles, indigenous photography, weaving and textiles. Cultural events depicted include Balufon festivals, Egungun and Gelede masquerades, social events (weddings, christenings, funerals), and religious ceremonies (initiation and animal sacrifice). Also included are various scenes of daily life, architecture, food preparation, markets, portraits and landscapes. Houlberg extensively documented Yoruba artists in the process of creating their art, including carvers Yesufu Ejigboye, Runshewe, and Lamidi Fakeye, as well as the final pieces themselves. Houlberg documentated art in situ, such as Yoruba house posts, shrines, wall art and wood doors and art objects, including Gelede masks, Ibeji (twin) and Eshu figures, Osanyin staffs, and Ogboni and Shango shrines. Manuscript and printed materials, including Houlberg's resume, thesis, and numerous published articles are also available in this collection.

Scope and Contents note:

This 6,567 slide collection documents Houlberg's studies in Southwestern Nigeria spanning from 1961 to circa 2005. In 2015, Houlberg donated an additional 1,948 color slides to the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives. These slides have been added to the EEPA 2005-002 finding aid, bringing the total to 8,515 slides.

The collection primarily includes photos of people, including the Ogboni, Pokot, Yoruba, Turkana and Igbo, shrines, festivals and rituals, art objects, and artists. A particular strength of the collection are photos of Balufon festivals, Egungun and Gelede masquerades, social events (weddings, christenings, funerals), and religious ceremonies (initiation and animal sacrifice). Also included are various scenes of daily life, architecture, food preparation, markets, portraits and landscapes. Houlberg mostly photographed in Ilishan, Ikenne, Ilara, Shagamu, Lagos, Ijebu-Ode, and Egbe.

Houlberg extensively documented Yoruba artists in the process of creating their art, including carvers Yesufu Ejigboye, Runshewe, and Lamidi Fakeye, as well as the final pieces themselves. Houlberg documentated art in situ, such as Yoruba house posts, shrines, wall art, wood doors and art objects, including Gelede masks, Ibeji (twin) and Eshu figures, Osanyin staffs, and Ogboni and Shango shrines. Several Yoruba art forms, including photography, scarification tattoos, and textiles (both cloth and dress), are represented in the collection. Additionally, there are numerous slides of Yoruba hairstyles, many of which she published in her article, Social Hair: Tradition and Change in Yoruba Hairstyles in Southwestern Nigeria.

Yoruba ritual specialists, such as Ife-olu Solaru, Olufunke, and Yesufu Ejigboye, appear frequently throughout the collection. Houlberg documented her many stays with these individuals over the years.

There is also one binder of manuscript and printed materials, including Houlberg's resume, thesis, and numerous published articles.

Arrangement note:

The collection is organized into 29 series according to subject. The series descriptions correspond with particular subjects used in Houlberg's teaching and lectures, and based on donor's notes. All slides were kept in the order in which they were donated.

Series 1: African Hairstyles, circa 1973-1994 (Binder 1; 212 slides)

Series 2: Egungun Festival, 1961-circa 1988 (Binder 1; 362 slides)

Series 3: Gelede, circa 1969-circa 1989 (Binder 2; 301 slides)

Series 4: Ibeji Twins, circa 1969-circa 1990 (Binders 2-3; 854 slides)

Series 5: Ogboni Art Objects and Shrines, circa 1969-circa 1982 (Binder 4; 92 slides)

Series 6: Art Objects Depicting Ogun, circa 1969-circa 1983 (Binder 4; 56 slides)

Series 7: Olojufoforo Art and Festivities, circa 1968-circa 1975 (Binder 4; 21 slides)

Series 8: Yoruba People, Architecture, and Art, circa 1969-circa 1985 (Binder 4; 260 slides)

Series 9: Carving, Art Objects and Artists, and Scenes of Daily Life, circa 1973-circa 1988 (Binder 4; 201 slides)

Series 10: Yoruba Art, circa 1971-circa 1983 (Binder 5; 49 slides)

Series 11: Yoruba Textiles, circa 1973-circa 1983 (Binder 5; 84 slides)

Series 12: Yoruba, Miscellaneous, circa 1967-circa 1989 (Binder 5; 251 slides)

Series 13: African Art, Textiles People, and Dwellings, circa 1963-circa 1983 (Binder 6; 58 slides)

Series 14: Ibo Mbari and Igbo Peoples and Artwork, circa 1967-circa 1985 (Binder 6; 212 slides)

Series 15: Art and Ceremonies, circa 1967-circa 1991 (Binder 6; 493 slides)

Series 16: Body Arts, Nuba People (Sudan) and Fulani and Bororo People (Niger), circa 1973-circa 1979 (Binder 7; 64 slides)

Series 17: People, Scenic Views and Animals of Kenya, Sudan, Angola, and Ghana, circa 1972-circa 1985 (Binder 7; 168 slides)

Series 18: Peoples and Arts of Ghana, Mali, and the Ivory Coast, circa 1966-circa 1992 (Binder 7; 406 slides)

Series 19: Published Maps and Photos, circa 1968-circa 1985 (Binder 8; 70 slides)

Series 20: Nigerian Masks and Art Objects, circa 1967-circa 1978 (Binder 8; 396 slides)

Series 21: Yoruba Festivals, People, and Art in Nigeria, circa 1967-circa 1988 (Binders 8-9; 128 slides)

Series 22: Yoruba Photography and Textiles, circa 1975-circa 1983 (Binder 9; 54 slides)

Series 23: Ife-Olu, Ilishan, circa 1980-circa 1988 (Binder 9; 87 slides)

Series 24: Yoruba Festivals, People, Hairstyles, Ibeji Objects, Eshu Figures, and Oya and Orishala Priests, Priestesses, and Shrines, circa 1966-circa 1988 (Binder 9; 168 slides)

Series 25: Shango, circa 1970-circa 1983 (Binder 10, 162 slides)

Series 26: Ara Festival, 1975 (Binder 10; 174 slides)

Series 27: Ceremonies and Festivals, Portraits, Art and Ceremonial Objects, Domestic and Market Scenes, circa 1969-circa 2005 (Binders 10-11; 759 slides)

Series 28: Yoruba Art Objects, and Domestic, Work, and Festival Scenes, circa 1971-circa 1983 (Binder 11; 104 slides)

Series 29: Manuscript and Printed Materials, 1973-circa 2005 (Binder 12)

Biographical/Historical note:

Artist, anthropologist, and art historian Dr. Marilyn Hammersley Houlberg was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1939. Houlberg received an Associate of Arts degree from Wright Junior College (1959) and a BFA from the University of Chicago (1963). After graduating, she traveled to North Africa and explored Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. In 1964, Houlberg researched Haitian art, religion, and indigenous photography in Haiti and in 1965 was awarded a scholarship for graduate study from the University of Chicago. There she completed her MAT in Art History in 1967. Following graduation, Houlberg worked at the Nigerian Museum in Lagos, where she documented Yoruba sculpture, masquerades, religion, body art, and indigenous photography.

She began her teaching career at the University of Chicago as a lecturer on African art and African civilization, working there from 1971 to 1973. At the University of London, Houlberg earned a Masters in Anthropology, producing the thesis Yoruba Twin Sculpture and Ritual (1973). She also extensively photographed her travels abroad in Yorubaland. Between 1974 and 1990, Houlberg taught at the University of Chicago, Columbia College, Kalamazoo College, and Northwestern University. From 1974 to 2008 she continued teaching at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, lecturing on Yoruba art and ritual in West Africa and the New World, and the art and ritual of Vodou in Haiti.

Houlberg has lectured worldwide at numerous museums and symposiums since 1972, including in Lagos, Nigeria; Jacmel, Haiti; Toronto, Canada; Salvador, Bahia, Brazil; and Cologne, Germany. Her essays have been published in several issues of African Arts. Some of Houlberg's significant publications include Arts of the Water Spirits of Haitian Vodou, in Sacred Waters: Arts for Mami Wata and Other Divinities in Africa and the Diaspora (2008) and Water Spirits of Haitian Vodou: Lasiren, Queen of Mermaids, in Mami-Wata: Arts for Water Spirits in Africa and the African-Atlantic World (2008). The exhibition Mami-Wata at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art (2009) featured her photographs.

Provenance:

Marilyn Houlberg, 733 West 18th St., Chicago, IL 60616, Donation, 20050320, 2005-0002

Restrictions:

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

Rights:

Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Occupation:

Weavers  Search this

Artists  Search this

Topic:

Shrines  Search this

Masks  Search this

Domestic scenes  Search this

Egúngún (Cult)  Search this

Ethnology -- Nigeria  Search this

Gelede (Yoruba rite)  Search this

Hairstyles -- Africa  Search this

Rites and ceremonies -- Africa  Search this

Clothing and dress -- Africa  Search this

Marketplaces  Search this

Masquerades  Search this

Ere ibeji  Search this

Works of art in situ  Search this

Art, African  Search this

Vernacular architecture  Search this

Festivals  Search this

Genre/Form:

Color slides

Photographic prints

Photographs

Citation:

Marilyn Houlberg Nigeria Collection, EEPA 2005-002, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

EEPA.2005-002

See more items in:

Marilyn Houlberg Nigeria collection

Archival Repository:

Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo729173a75-b645-455f-b66b-ae08d0d2102e

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-eepa-2005-002

Creator:

Houlberg, Marilyn  Search this

Collection Photographer:

Houlberg, Marilyn  Search this

Extent:

1 Slides (photographs) (Color, 35 mm.)

Culture:

Yoruba (African people)  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Slides (photographs)

Date:

1975-06-21

Scope and Contents:

Original text on slide reads, "Blacksmith/carver Raimi Adesina of Olori-awo compound. Eyindi quarter. Saturday"

General:

Slide No. R12-35

Restrictions:

Access by appointment only. To make a research appointment, contact Archives staff at elisofonarchives@si.edu.

Rights:

Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. For terms of use, contact Archives staff at elisofonarchives@si.edu.

Occupation:

Blacksmiths  Search this

Collection Citation:

Marilyn Houlberg Nigeria Collection, EEPA 2005-002, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

EEPA.2005-002, Item EEPA 2015-015-1532

See more items in:

Marilyn Houlberg Nigeria collection

Marilyn Houlberg Nigeria collection / Babalawo and shrines, Ìlá Òràngún

Archival Repository:

Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo711d62742-ebb2-4958-b5d1-4a0e8209c010

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-eepa-2005-002-ref3169

Creator:

Houlberg, Marilyn  Search this

Collection Photographer:

Houlberg, Marilyn  Search this

Extent:

1 Slides (photographs) (Color, 35 mm.)

Culture:

Yoruba (African people)  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Slides (photographs)

Date:

1975-06-21

Scope and Contents:

Original text on slide reads, "Blacksmith/carver Raimi Adesina of Olori-awo compound. Eyindi quarter. Saturday"

General:

Slide No. R12-36

Restrictions:

Access by appointment only. To make a research appointment, contact Archives staff at elisofonarchives@si.edu.

Rights:

Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. For terms of use, contact Archives staff at elisofonarchives@si.edu.

Occupation:

Blacksmiths  Search this

Collection Citation:

Marilyn Houlberg Nigeria Collection, EEPA 2005-002, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

EEPA.2005-002, Item EEPA 2015-015-1533

See more items in:

Marilyn Houlberg Nigeria collection

Marilyn Houlberg Nigeria collection / Babalawo and shrines, Ìlá Òràngún

Archival Repository:

Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo76e905572-de0b-48c6-a963-17ebd168d743

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-eepa-2005-002-ref3170

Creator:

Houlberg, Marilyn  Search this

Collection Photographer:

Houlberg, Marilyn  Search this

Extent:

1 Slides (photographs) (Color, 35 mm.)

Culture:

Yoruba (African people)  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Slides (photographs)

Date:

1975-06-21

Scope and Contents:

Original text on slide reads, "Exterior of Blacksmith/carver Raimi Adesina's shop. Olori-awo compound. Eyindi quarter. Saturday"

General:

Slide No. R12-37

Restrictions:

Access by appointment only. To make a research appointment, contact Archives staff at elisofonarchives@si.edu.

Rights:

Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. For terms of use, contact Archives staff at elisofonarchives@si.edu.

Occupation:

Blacksmiths  Search this

Collection Citation:

Marilyn Houlberg Nigeria Collection, EEPA 2005-002, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

EEPA.2005-002, Item EEPA 2015-015-1534

See more items in:

Marilyn Houlberg Nigeria collection

Marilyn Houlberg Nigeria collection / Babalawo and shrines, Ìlá Òràngún

Archival Repository:

Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo7312710fc-c47a-42c7-8af6-06bad73b6655

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-eepa-2005-002-ref3171

Creator:

Drewal, Henry John  Search this

Drewal, Margaret Thompson  Search this

Extent:

10,000 Slides (color)

10,617 Copy slides

Container:

Item 10000

Volume 1

Volume 2

Volume 3

Volume 4

Volume 5

Volume 6

Volume 7

Volume 8

Volume 9

Volume 10

Volume 11

Volume 12

Volume 13

Volume 14

Volume 15

Volume 16

Volume 17

Culture:

Ewe (African people)  Search this

Yoruba (African people)  Search this

Igbo (African people)  Search this

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Slides

Copy slides

Color slides

Place:

Togo

Africa

Nigeria

Ghana

Sierra Leone

Date:

1970-1989

Summary:

Both Henry John Drewal and Margaret Drewal traveled to Nigeria, Ghana and Togo (West Africa) for extended periods from 1967-1986. During their trips to Nigeria they conducted research into the ritual performance, masking traditions, and traditional sacred rites of the Yoruba people as well as Mami Wata devotes of Togo, Ghana, and Nigeria. They are the co-authors of Gelede: Art and Female Power among the Yoruba (1993).Both Henry John Drewal and Margaret Drewal traveled to Nigeria, Ghana and Togo (West Africa) for extended periods from 1967-1986. During their trips to Nigeria they conducted research into the ritual performance, masking traditions, and traditional sacred rites of the Yoruba people as well as Mami Wata devotes of Togo, Ghana, and Nigeria. They are the co-authors of Gelede: Art and Female Power among the Yoruba (1993).

Photographs taken by Henry John and Margaret Thompson Drewal during the 1970s and 1980s of Yoruba and Ewe art and culture.

Scope and Contents:

The Drewal collection is a photographic documentation of several trips made to the West African countries of Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo to conduct field research. This collection, which consists of over 10,000 color slides (35mm), represents a major portion of the photographs taken by the Drewals during their visits to West Africa from 1967-1986 to conduct field work.

There are several subjects present in this collection. The most prominent being the Egúngún and Gelede rituals and festivals of the Yoruba people of Nigeria. Other subjects found in the collection are Ifá initiation, Òrìsà and Mami Wata festivals, Òrìsà shrines, sacred arts, beading techniques, and traditional and modern architecture. There is a large selection of images specifically of shrines and festivals for Òrìsà such as Sango, Ògún, Agemo, Eyinle and others. Details of implements like the ose Sango, opa Osanyin, and opa Osun can also be seen in the collection.

The Drewals also photographed and documented Yoruba sacred art (i.e. shrine objects; masks) in a number of international museums in Africa, Europe and the United States. Their collection contains images of Yoruba art in the British Museum, London; Nigeria National Museum, Lagos; National Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C.; Everton Museum, New York; and Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago. For a complete listing of slides depicting museum collections see pages 28-33. These images are restricted and can not be reproduced without permission of the copyright holder.

Organization of the Finding Aid:

Drewal, Margaret Thompson. "Symbols of Possession: A Study of Movement and Regalia in an Anago-Yoruba Ceremony." -- Dance Research Journal -- 7, no. 2 (1975).

Drewal, Margaret Thompson and Henry John Drewal. "Gelede: Dance of the Western Yoruba," -- African Arts -- 8, no. 2 (Winter 1975).

Drewal, Henry John. "Efe: Voiced Power and Pagenatry." -- African Arts -- 7, no. 1 (Autumn 1973).

Drewal, Margaret Thompson and Henry John Drewal. "More Powerful than Each Other: An Egbado Classification of Egungun." -- African Arts -- 11, no. 3 (April 1978).

Drewal, Margaret Thompson. "Projections from the Top in Yoruba Art." -- African Arts -- 11, no. 1 (October 1977).

Drewal, Henry John. "Gelede Masquerade: Imagery and Motif." -- African Arts -- 7, no. 4 (Summer 1974).

Drewal, Henry John. "Pageantry and Power in Yoruba Costuming." Justine M. Cordwell and Ronald M. Schwarz, ed. -- The Fabrics of Culture -- . Hauge: Mouton, 1979.

Drewal, Margaret Thompson. "Art and Trance Among Yoruba Sango Devotees." -- African Arts -- 20, no. 1 (November 1986).

Drewal, Henry John. "Flaming Crowns, Cooling Waters: Masquerades of the Ijebu Yoruba" -- African Arts -- 20, no. 1 (November 1986).

Drewal, Henry John. "Mermaids, Mirrors, and Snake Charmers: Igbo Mami Wata Shrines" -- African Arts -- 21, no. 2 (February 1988).

Drewal, Henry John. "Performing the Other: Mami Wata Worship in Africa" -- TDR -- 32, no. 2 (Summer 1988).

Drewal, Henry John. "Beauty and Being: Aesthetics and Ontology in Yoruba Body Art." Arnold Rubin, ed. -- Marks of Civilization: Artistic Transformation of the Human Body -- . Los Angeles, CA, 1988.

Drewal, Henry John, John Pemberton III, Rowland Abiodun. -- Yoruba: Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought -- . NY: Center for African Art in Association with H.N. Abrams, 1989.

Homberger, Lorenz ed. -- Yoruba Art and Aesthetics -- . Zurich: Museum Rietberg; New York: Center for African Art, 1991.

Drewal, Margaret Thompson. -- Yoruba Ritual: Performers, Play, Agency -- . Bloomington and Indianapolis, IN: Indiana University Press, 1992.

Drewal, Henry John and Margaret Thompson Drewal. -- Gelede: Art and Female Power among the Yoruba -- . Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1993.

Abiodun, Rowland, Henry J. Drewal, and John Pemberton III, editors. -- The Yoruba Artist: New Theoretical Perspectives on African Arts -- . Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1994.

Drewal, Henry John. "Yoruba Beadwork Beauty Brightness." -- Faces -- 12, no. 1 (September 1995).

This finding aid was organized according to the inherent value of the Drewal collection to art historians, ethnographers, anthropologists, and cultural historians. It has been kept simple but made as detailed as possible while still providing the researcher with references to the images and other valuable research information. The finding aid has been organized into three principal sections:

A. Bibliography of Drewal publications with image numbers; B. Primary keyword subjects: Field images; C. Primary keyword subjects: Art images; and D. Restricted images: B/W copy slides and non-Drewal color slides

A. Bibliography of Drewal publications: The first section contains a bibliography of primary Drewal publications and lists the image numbers for reproductions that appear in either black-and-white or color. These publications are listed chronologically with a corresponding list of image numbers. For the researcher's convenience, all images from the Drewal collection that have been published are listed in a separate column beside the publication in which the picture appears. Due to space restrictions, only the last five digits of the accession numbers are listed in the Image # column.

**Please note that some of the color slides in the collection have been reproduced as black-and-white images in several Drewal publications. A separate column in the bibliographic section indicates whether the image was reproduced in black-and-white or color in the publication. The Elisofon Archives does not currently possess any of the Drewal's black-and-white negatives. For additional information on these images, please contact Drs. Henry John Drewal and Margaret Thompson Drewal.

Example:

Publication Title Image # Gelede: Art and Female Power among the Yoruba, 1993

To further assist researchers, two additional columns have been created to indicate if the image is published in color or black/white.

Example: Publication Title Image # Color Gelede: Art and Female Power among the Yoruba, 1993 • 00000 

B & C. Primary keyword: Field and Art images The second section contains a complete list of images available in the collection, subdivided by field and art images. Field images refer to cultural or natural landscapes shot in Africa and Art images refer to images of objects in museums (or photographed in the field as an object by itself). These images have been categorized by primary keywords (i.e. artisan; leadership; masquerade) and subdivided into subcategories or type within these general keyword subjects (i.e. carvers; chiefs; Egungun).

Example:

Primary Keyword Subcategory Image # Architecture • Modern • 00000

D. Restricted images: The final section lists restricted images in the collection: b/w copy slides from publications and color slides not produced by the Drewals. These images are for study purposes only and not for reproduction.

Arrangement note:

The slides were sent to the Elisofon Archives in several batches. They were arranged according to the Drewals' own system of classification and field notes (see below). This arrangement is roughly by subject and further subdivided by subcategory or type. Slides of museum objects are grouped with field images of similar subject matter. For instance, museum object related to Sango worship can be found with the field images of Sango devotees and shrines.

The Drewals donated copies of their field notes (Red and Blue Books) which correspond to most of the slides found in the collection. The Red and Blue books are arranged in reverse chronological order starting with Blue Book 1977-78.1. Reference numbers to these books appear on the upper left hand corner of the slide (e.g. 78.34.6; 28-11). The majority of the field notes give the date and place where the photos were taken as well as a brief descriptive of the subject of the image related to the note. In some cases, the Òrìsà of a particular town was recorded in addition to how many Òrìsà are worshipped. The Drewals attended several private ceremonies and there are some descriptions of their experiences, however, in most cases not in extensive detail.

There is an additional notebook containing more field notes for years prior to 1975. This notebook has information about the images of museum objects and is a collection of Xeroxed copies of notes on index cards. There are no dates on the copies, but there are reference numbers as with the Red and Blue Books.

Images indexed by negative number.

Biographical / Historical:

Art historian Henry John Drewal received his BA from Hamilton College and two Masters' degrees and a PhD from Columbia University (1973). In between college and graduate school, Drewal served in the Peace Corps, where he taught French and English, organized arts camps in Nigeria, and apprenticed himself to a Yoruba sculptor.

He taught at Cleveland State University (Chair of the Art Department), and was a Visiting Professor at UC-Santa Barbara and SUNY-Purchase. Since 1991 he has been the Evjue-Bascom Professor of Art History and Afro-American Studies at UW-Madison. He has published several books, edited volumes, exhibition catalogues, and many articles and produced a number of films documenting African and African Diaspora arts, and lectured widely on these topics. He has received several NEH and NEA grants, three Fulbright Research Awards (Brazil, Benin, Morocco), a Metropolitan Museum of Art Fellowship, and a Guggenheim Fellowship.

Dr. Margaret Thompson Drewal is an ethnographer, performance theorist, and dance historian. She has conducted extensive research on Yoruba and Afro-Brazilian ritual dance with a special interest in the poetics and politics of performance discourse. She is the author of Performers, Play, and Agency: Yoruba Ritual Process (1989). She has also authored numerous articles that have appeared in such journals as TDR: A Journal of Performance Studies, African Arts, and The Journal Ritual Studies. She is also a trained dancer and choreographer. At present, Dr. Drewal is the Chair of the Department of Performance Studies at North Western University.

There are also video productions by Henry John Drewal and Margaret Thompson Drewal available in the Warren M. Robbins Library. The videos available are "Ẹfẹ/Gẹlẹdẹ Ceremonies among the Western Yoruba," by Henry John Drewal; "Yoruba Performance," by Henry John Drewal; and "Yoruba Ritual: A Companion Video," by Margaret Thompson Drewal.

Cultural Information and Background:

The information found here goes slightly beyond the notes of the Red/Blue Books and index card that accompany the images. Because the Drewal Collection primarily centers on the Yoruba and Mami Wata spiritual traditions and material cultures, the focus of images are of specific implements of the deities and priests, such as staffs, pots, stools, thrones, statues, and bells. Also included in the collection are images of divination, sacrifice, and other important rituals, festivals and ceremonies. What is given here is pertinent background information on the cosmology of the Yoruba and Mami Wata spiritual traditions as it relates to the iconographical focus of the slides.

In Yoruba cosmology, there is a supreme being commonly referred to as Ọlọdumare. Ọlọdumare is essentially understood as being genderless or androgynous. There are no shrines or spiritual implements dedicated to Ọlọdumare. The Yoruba believe that Ọlọdumare is too vast and its power too strong to be channeled into one building or space. Everything is a part of or expresses an aspect of Ọlọdumare. Through the appeasement of the Òrìsà Ọlọdumare is served. The Òrìsà are the emissaries of Ọlọdumare sent to the world to assist their devotees in every day life. There are hundreds of Òrìsà within the Yoruba pantheon. Deities such as Ọbatala, Ifá, Èshù, Ọshún, Shango, Ọsanyin, Yemọja and Oya are worshipped throughout Yorubaland; there are also deities that are specific to particular locations and are not as popular as the aforementioned eight.

Implements of the priests are classified as sacred art. These spiritual tools are not only instruments of the priests, but ultimately, they are tools for the Òrìsà. It is important to understand that the shrines are not the Òrìsà. This very prominent misconception has plagued traditional practitioners both in and out of Yorubaland for centuries. The emphasis of reverence is placed on the spirit associated with the materials used to construct a shrine or ceremonial item and not the item itself. The shrine and other sacred tools serve as vortices to channel the ashe or power of the Òrìsà into the physical world.

Ifá is a term that has been used to refer to the Yoruba traditional spiritual system. However, Ifá also refers to the Òrìsà of divination, Ọrunmila, as well as the system of divination used by the priests of Ọrunmila. Ifá's role as a diviner is so important in Yoruba cosmology that he is referred to as Ẹlẹri ipin, ibikéjì Ọlọdumare (witness to all destinies, second only to Ọlọdumare). The Drewals were allowed to follow the process of three initiations and other sacred rituals performed by priests. Certain rituals cannot be witnessed by non-initiates; however the Drewals were able to photograph many of the sacred rites of the initiation process. The roles of the Ifá priest vary. Divining is a very important role of the Ifá priest, and the tools used to divine are also sacred. There is a section of the collection dedicated to images of divination tools and the Ifá shrine.

Èshù is another one of the most important deities within Yoruba cosmology. Èshù is the keeper of ashe and the inspector of all sacrifices. His image is carved into the top of the Ifá divination tray (ọpọn Ifá) because he is a witness to all actions, thoughts, and events. According to Yoruba cosmology, he is an unbiased observer who will convey only the truth of any subject. Both Ifá and Èshù assist devotees in overcoming unsavory circumstances and bad luck, according to the Yoruba. There are many roads (aspects) of Èshù, each performing a specific duty in a devotee's life. Shigidi is one of the more powerful aspects of Èshù. One can see the noticeable differences between the Shigidi and the yangi (laterite or sculpted clay used to create an Èshù shrine).

The implements that are found on traditional Òrìsà shrines are based on Yoruba mythology. For instance, the odo Shango, ritual mortar, is found on almost all shrines dedicated to this particular Òrìsà. The legend goes that he used an inverted mortar to kill a leopard that was terrorizing the people of Enpe. The odo Shango is sometimes used to support the container that holds the "thunderstones" (lightning struck stones) of Shango's shrine. The inverted mortar is also used as a stool for priests or initiates to sit. Shango's priests usually keep their hair braided, even if the priest is male. Equestrian figures are utilized in both Shango and Oya sacred art. Oya is the only female deity in the Yoruba pantheon that has ever been depicted riding a horse. Yoruba mythology states that Oya is a warrior goddess who accompanies her husband, Shango into battle and fights by his side. Together the husband and wife team is associated with thunderstorms. Oya is mythically related to the winds that precede the thunder and lightning that are both said to be associated with Shango.

There are several types of staffs or dance wands seen in the Drewal collection. In the case of dance wands, they are often times utilized during spirit possession. In some instances, the shrine of the Òrìsà is only the staff of that particular deity. Such is the case with the ọpa Osun, a deity associated with Ifá and his devotees and the ọpa Òrìsà Oko, the deity of agriculture.

The Ogboni society (also known as Osugbo) possesses a mixture of spiritual and governmental power within the traditional Yoruba community. It was the foundation of order in traditional Yoruba society. The focus of worship and veneration amongst Ogboni members is Onilẹh, the Owner of the land or Earth. Sometimes one may hear the term Onileh, Owner of the house, instead. Both pronunciations can be used and carry significant meaning in either case. However, the consensus of scholarly research associates Ogboni with the Earth. In that case the term Onilẹh is more suitable.

Egúngún and Gelede festivals are of significant importance amongst the Yoruba. The Egúngún society is dedicated to the veneration and appeasement of honorable ancestors. This can take place in private or public. Families celebrate their deceased relatives' lives and accomplishments privately through sacrifice, prayer and celebration. In a public arena ancestors from the community are given recognition. The Yoruba have long believed that community solidarity and welfare begins with the family. In honoring one's personal ancestors as well as benevolent community ancestors, the family receives the blessings of those that reside in the spiritual realm—those who have become ara ọrun, or the people of heaven. Because the Yoruba believe in reincarnation, it is thought that the ancestors will one day return to the material world in a future lifetime. If proper rituals and prayers are performed, the spirits returning will have a better chance of being assets to society by hopefully making positive contributions to the elevation of the Yoruba people.

Gelede is always a public event. The time of year which the festival will take place is dependent on the locality in which the festival is being held. Gelede focuses mainly on the feminine and the role of women in society. Female deities such as Yemọja, Olókun, and Ilẹh are associated with Gelede. Another aspect of major importance to Gelede is the inclusion of Ìyánla, the Great Mother, which is a reference to Onilè. This reference is but one facet that connects Gelede to the Ogboni society. It is also during the Gelede festival that Awọn Ìyá Wa, Our Mothers or the Mothers, are petitioned and appeased so that they may not interfere with the positive efforts of the community.

Both the Egúngún and Gelede festivals help to ensure prosperity, abundance, and fertility of the people. It is through these festivals that indecent conduct is addressed in hopes of exorcising the root of such behavior. It is believed that bringing any disgraceful and inhumane acts to the forefront encourages individuals to act responsibly in all matters.

The final subject presented in the Drewal Collection is of the Mami Wata traditions in West Africa. Representations of Mami Wata often include foreign images, usually of Indian gods, to describe the attributes of Mami Wata as a deity. The term Mami Wata refers to a water spirit or a collective of water spirits. The names associated with the original African water spirit(s) have long been forgotten in some regions of West Africa where Mami Wata is worshipped. However, in other areas, the term Mami Wata is interchangeable with the indigenous name used to identify the water spirit(s). There are variations to the worship of Mami Wata throughout West Africa, yet similarities prevail. Togo is most popularly associated with the Mami Wata tradition. Most of the slides featuring Mami Wata devotees in the Drewal Collection were taken in Togo.

Related Materials:

Additional photographs by Henry John Drewal held at the EEPA are located within the collection: Henry John Drewal Collection, EEPA 2010-010.

Restrictions:

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

Rights:

Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. Copyright held by John and Margaret Drewal. To publish images from this collection, permission must be given by Henry and Margaret Drewal. Contact Archives staff for further information. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Genre/Form:

Color slides

Citation:

Henry and Margaret Drewal Photographs, EEPA 1992-028, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

EEPA.1992-028

See more items in:

Henry John Drewal and Margaret Thompson Drewal Collection

Archival Repository:

Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo75d71915f-d8ca-4633-a51c-c73dae691495

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-eepa-1992-028

Photographer:

O'Hear, Ann  Search this

Extent:

34 Slides (photographs) (color, 35 mm)

2 Digital images

Culture:

Yoruba (African people)  Search this

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Slides (photographs)

Digital images

Color slides

Place:

Africa

Nigeria

Date:

1980-2015

Summary:

Photographs taken by Ann O'Hear of leatherworking and pottery technology in Ilorin, Nigeria, from 1980 to 2015.

Scope and Contents:

The collection includes photographs taken by Ann O'Hear of leatherworking and pottery technology in Ilorin, Nigeria, from 1980 to 2015.

Images in Series 1 (Leatherworking in Ilorin) depict a saddle, including details of tooling, bridle, triangular decorations for horses, Alh. Imam Idiaro weaving and cutting out a template for use on saddle blankets, and a horse in ceremonial trappings waiting to welcome the Emir of Ilorin, Alh. Sulu Gambari, on his return from a trip abroad. Photographs were taken in Ilorin, including in the areas of Ile Onigaari and Balogun Alanamu.

Series 2 (Pottery Technology in Ilorin) includes images of potters, including Madam Fatimoh, constructing pots at the Ebu Dada pottery center, and in Ile Babaoye, Okelele, and Ile Mulabi, Ilorin.

Arrangement:

Images arranged in two series:

Series 1: Leatherworking in Ilorin, 1985-1989 (15 slides)

Series 2: Pottery Technology in Ilorin, 1980-2015 (29 slides, 2 digital images)

Biographical / Historical:

Ann O'Hear is a professor specializing in Nigerian material culture. Following graduation from college, she worked as a graduate volunteer teacher in Nigeria (1965‒1967) and in 1969 received an MA in African Studies from the Centre of West African Studies, University of Birmingham, UK. In 1976, she returned to Nigeria and worked as a lecturer at the Kwara State College of Technology, Ilorin, and researched the economic history of Ilorin. Studying under Professor J. D. Fage, she received her Ph.D. in History/African Studies in 1984 from the University of Birmingham. She left Kwara State College of Technology in 1985, and moved to America, where she became Coordinator of Intercultural Studies at Niagara University. She also worked in publishing, including as co-editor of the African Economic History journal. She authored the book Power Relations in Nigeria: Ilorin Slaves and Their Successors (1997), edited a new edition of Letters from Nigeria, 1899‒1900 of David Wynford Carnegie (1992), and has published numerous articles.

Related Materials:

Additional archival and art collections by Ann O'Hear are held at the following locations:

Ann O'Hear Collection: Research on Master Weaver Yahaya Kalu Olabintan of Ilorin. A digital collection including an introduction, a research note with bibliographical references, images with captions, and an appendix, deposited in the National Museum of African Art Library, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

The Dr. Ann O'Hear Archive, The Hull History Centre. An annotated collection of articles, books, interviews, research notes, correspondence, archival materials, etc., on slavery and related subjects.

The Ann O'Hear Collection, Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM), Exeter. A collection of lantana beads from Ilorin (Nigeria).

"Additions to the Lovejoy-Adesiyun Collection." A digital collection including interviews, a research note, images, etc., Harriet Tubman Resource Centre, Harriet Tubman Institute, York University, Toronto, Canada. See http://digital.tubmaninstitute.ca/collections/show/11.

The O'Hear Collection of West African textiles, presented to ULITA—An Archive of International Textiles (University of Leeds). Handwoven cloths, dyed cloths, mostly Nigerian, collected by Ann and Hugh O'Hear, 1960s-1980s.

Provenance:

Donated by Ann O'Hear, 2016.

Restrictions:

Collection digitized and available online. Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.

Rights:

Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Occupation:

Potters  Search this

Topic:

Leatherwork  Search this

Pottery  Search this

Weaving  Search this

Blacksmithing  Search this

Hides and skins  Search this

Genre/Form:

Color slides

Digital images

Citation:

Ann O'Hear Collection, EEPA 2016-004, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

EEPA.2016-004

See more items in:

Ann O'Hear Collection

Archival Repository:

Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo73b9e6135-7609-467c-836d-997d290ad8f6

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-eepa-2016-004

Photographer:

Blackmun, Barbara Winston  Search this

Names:

Erediauwa, King of Benin, 1923-2016  Search this

Extent:

1,469 Color slides

Culture:

Edo (African people)  Search this

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Color slides

Place:

Nigeria

Ife (Nigeria)

Africa

Benin

Date:

circa 1969-1994

Summary:

The collection includes 1,469 color slides (35mm) which were taken in Nigeria from circa 1964-1994, and focus on ancestral altars; artists; art objects in museums, including bronze plaques and carved ivory tusks; ceremonies and festivals, including the Igue and Ewere Festivals, and the Emobo, Otue, Olokun, title-taking, and Blackmun's initation ceremonies; and people, including Oba Erediauwa and chiefs Eribo, Ero, Esogban, Ezomo, Ohanmu and Osaigeide; and street and landscape scenes in Benin City, Ife, Lagos, Ishiago, and Mbarri, Owerri, Owo, among other locations in Nigeria.

Scope and Contents:

The collection includes 1,469 color slides (35mm) which were taken in circa 1969 to 1994, and focus on African art objects, prominent people, especially chiefs, festivals and ceremonies, and landscape and street scenes in Nigeria, including Benin City, Ife, Ishiago, Jeronimos, Lagos, Mbari, Oshagbe, Owerri, Owo, Oyo, and Udu.

Many of the images are of art objects in museums, particularly in the Jos Museum, the Owo Museum, the Benin Museum, the Lagos Museum, the Ife Palace Museum, and the University of Ife Museum. The objects include altar stands, armlets, bells, bowls, boxes, bracelets, figures, Oko (flutes), ivory gongs, Ikengobos, masks, motif drawings, pendants, plaques, regalia, salt cellars, staffs, stools, and carved ivory tusks.

People depicted include the Oba Erediauwa, and the chiefs Eribo, Ero, Esogban, Ezomo, Ohanmu and Osaigeide. The collection also documents ceremonies and festivals, including the Igue and Ewere Festivals, and the Emobo, Otue, and Olokun ceremonies as well as Ineh Isienmwenro's title-taking, and Blackmun's initation.

Arrangement:

Arranged into 4 series:

Series 1: Museum Objects (747 slides), 1979-1994

Series 2: Ceremonies (227 slides), circa 1969-1994

Series 3: People (354 slides), circa 1969-1994

Series 4: Landscape and Street Scenes (141 slides), circa 1969-1994

Biographical / Historical:

African art historian Barbara Winston Blackmun (1928-) is a specialist in Nigerian antiquities, particularly Nok terracottas, the bronzes of Ile Ife, and the bronzes and ivories of the Kingdom of Benin in Nigeria. She earned her BFA at UCLA (1949), MA at Arizona State University (1971), and Doctor of Philosophy in Art History at UCLA (1984).

Over her career, Blackmun's research has included fieldwork in Malawi (1964-1969) and research of Ife antiquities with Frank Willett (1978-79) and various collections on Benin antiquities in the U.K., U.S., Europe, and Africa (1980-present). Recipient of a Fulbright (1981-1982) and a National Endowment for the Humanities grant (1994), she conducted field work at the Oba's court in Benin City, Nigeria. Additionally, she has published numerous exhibition catalogs and articles in journals such as African Arts.

Blackmun taught art history at the Malawi Polytechnic College, Blantyre, (1965—1969), San Diego Mesa College (at which she is Professor Emeritus) (1971—2010), University of California, San Diego (1987, 2008, 2004), and UCLA (1987, 2000), among other places. She also curated and acted as a curatorial consultant of African art collections at numerous institutions, including Mesa College, the San Diego Museum of Art (2010), Chicago Field Museum (1990—1993), Chicago Art Institute (1994, 2006—2008), Detroit Institute of Art (2002—2010), Museum fuer Voelkerkunde, Vienna (2003—2008), and the Ethnologisches Museum, Berlin (2003—2008).

Her committee work includes serving as National Program Director for the African American Institute, Malawi (1968—1969), a member of the Education Council, Contemporary Arts Committee, San Diego Museum of Art (1975—1978), a board member of the San Diego Mesa College Foundation (1983-) and the African and African-American Studies Research Center, University of California, San Diego, and Chair of the African Arts Council, San Diego Museum of Art.

Provenance:

Donated by Monica Blackmun Visona, 2016.

Restrictions:

Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details. Items 1234-1256 restricted. Available to view onsite only.

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:

Altars  Search this

Art, African  Search this

Rites and ceremonies -- Africa  Search this

Egúngún (Cult)  Search this

Yoruba (African people)  Search this

Genre/Form:

Color slides

Citation:

Barbara Blackmun Collection, EEPA 2016-012, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

EEPA.2016-012

See more items in:

Barbara Blackmun Collection

Archival Repository:

Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo7f41661a7-24f4-48b4-bf6c-86f882c772cb

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-eepa-2016-012