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Nufori acrobat-mask performs the final rituals of a Senufo funeral, Promafolo village, near Korhogo, Ivory Coast

National Museum of African Art

Object Details

Local Numbers
E 2 SNF 10.2 EE 71
General
Title is provided by EEPA staff based on photographer's notes.
Local Note
46
Frame value is 33.
Slide No. E 2 SNF 10.2 EE 71
Photographer
Elisofon, Eliot
Collection Photographer
Elisofon, Eliot
Place
Africa
Côte d'Ivoire
Topic
Masquerades
Dance
Rites and ceremonies -- Africa
Musical instruments
Clothing and dress -- Africa
Cultural landscapes
Photographer
Elisofon, Eliot
Culture
Senufo (African people)
See more items in
Eliot Elisofon Field collection
Eliot Elisofon Field collection / Côte d'Ivoire
Extent
1 Slides (photographs) (col.)
Date
1971
Archival Repository
Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art
Identifier
EEPA.1973-001, Item EEPA EECL 3887
Type
Archival materials
Slides (photographs)
Color slides
Collection Citation
Eliot Elisofon Field Collection, EEPA 1973-001, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution
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.
Genre/Form
Color slides
Scope and Contents
"On the last day of the ceremony, two Nufori acrobat-masks into the village square perform the final rituals of a Senufo funeral. Known as Panthers of the Poro, the maskers wear brown, spotted costumes made from mud-dyed ritual cloth, designed to terrify the women and children in the audience, who are mormally excluded from masked rituals. Despite their humorous antics, they are respected and even feared by the villagers, whom they are entitled to hit with a switch. The masks are accompanied by a Boloye band, who play unique one-stringed calabash harps called bolongo." [Beckwith C., Fisher A., 1999: African Ceremonies. Volume 2. Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for Westinghouse Film and traveled to Africa from October 26, 1970 to end of March 1971.
Collection Restrictions
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1536870822481-1536871013419-0
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo79bc4cba5-f4ef-4c01-a203-c6def3d980ff

Related Content

  • Eliot Elisofon Field collection

Nufori acrobat-mask performs the final rituals of a Senufo funeral, Promafolo village, near Korhogo, Ivory Coast
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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