Asante men playing wari outside of shrine house, Besease, Ghana
Object Details
- Local Numbers
- EENG-V-19, 30A.
- General
- Title source: Index card based on photographer's notes.
- Local Note
- Typed index card reads, "T 2 Ash. Ashanti. Ghana, Besease. Exterior of shrine house, men playing wari. 7/1970. EE. neg.no. V-19, 30A." The card was written in 1977-79 by Archives staff using source provided by photographer.
- Photographer
- Elisofon, Eliot
- Collection Photographer
- Elisofon, Eliot
- Place
- Africa
- Ghana
- Topic
- Traditional architecture
- Games
- Cultural landscapes
- Recreation
- Photographer
- Elisofon, Eliot
- Culture
- Asante (African people)
- See more items in
- Eliot Elisofon Field collection
- Eliot Elisofon Field collection / Ghana
- Extent
- 1 Negatives (photographic) (b&w, 35mm.)
- Date
- 1970
- Archival Repository
- Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art
- Identifier
- EEPA.1973-001, Item EEPA EENG 05896
- Type
- Archival materials
- Negatives (photographic)
- Black-and-white negatives
- Negatives
- 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
- Black-and-white negatives
- Negatives
- Scope and Contents
- "A shrine house or 'Obosomfie' is made up of 4 buildings enclosing a central courtyard or 'gyase'. A striking characteristic of traditional Asante architecture was the high steep-pitched roofs often with angle of 60 degree and more, which allowed for a very good efficiency and durability of the thatch roof, and therefore ensured the good protection of the overall building but required constant upkeep and maintenance. In the last century, corrugated iron has replaced thatch, cement the mud plaster and cob, and more recently mud brick masonry has replaced the wattle and daub technique. Today, at Besease, the shrine has just been restored. Works implemented were aimed at restoring the shrine house and presenting it to the public. Efforts have been made to reconstruct it to its original state." [Asante Traditional Buildings. World Heritage. A Ghana Museums and Monuments Publication]. The photograph depicts men playing wari by shrine house building. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon traveled to Africa from March 17, 1970 to July 17, 1970.
- Collection Restrictions
- Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
- Record ID
- ebl-1536870822481-1536871014426-1
- Metadata Usage
- CC0
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