Skip to main content Skip to main navigation
heart-solid My Visit Donate
Home
Press Enter to activate a submenu, down arrow to access the items and Escape to close the submenu.
    • Overview
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Entry and Guidelines
    • Maps and Brochures
    • Dine and Shop
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Group Visits
    • Overview
    • Exhibitions
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX & Planetarium
    • Overview
    • Topics
    • Collections
    • Research Resources
    • Podcasts
    • Stories
    • Overview
    • For Caregivers
    • For Educators
    • For Students
    • For Academics
    • For Lifelong Learners
    • Overview
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Membership
    • Make a Gift
    • Volunteer
    • Overview
    • Our Organization
    • Our Leadership
    • Reports and Plans
    • Newsdesk
heart-solid My Visit Donate

The xylophone at the okonkwo dance, Oha Nwego Village, Okpoha Village-Group, Nigeria

African Art Museum

The xylophone at the okonkwo dance, Oha Nwego Village, Okpoha Village-Group, Nigeria
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.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

Object Details

sova.eepa.2000-007_ref1040
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo79e423b24-2184-4c76-9173-821d8d9b75cd
Local Numbers
316/1959-1960 EEPA 2000-070532
General
Title source: Dr. Simon Ottenberg, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.
Photographer
Ottenberg, Simon
Collection Photographer
Ottenberg, Simon
Place
Africa
Nigeria
Topic
Rites and ceremonies -- Africa
Musical instruments
Cultural landscapes
Masquerades
Photographer
Ottenberg, Simon
Culture
Igbo (African people)
See more items in
Simon Ottenberg photographs
Extent
1 Slide (col.)
Date
1959-1960
Custodial History
Donated by Simon Ottenberg, 2000.
Archival Repository
Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art
Identifier
EEPA.2000-007, Item EEPA 2000-007-0532
Type
Archival materials
Slides
Color slides
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.
Bibliography
Masked rituals of Afikpo, the context of an African art; Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1975. [published in connection with an exhibition shown at the Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, May 24-June 21, 1975].
Genre/Form
Color slides
Scope and Contents
This photograph was taken by Dr. Simon Ottenberg at the Okonkwo dance presented on the the market day, aho, 9 January 1960 in the Eastern Igbo community of Oha Nwego Village, in neighboring Okpoha Village-Group. Dr. Ottenberg was conducting field research at Afikpo village-group, southeastern Nigeria, from September 1959 to December 1960.
Original caption reads, "Okpoha Ngodo performance at Okpoha Village-Group, an Igbo village-group northwest of Afikpo, related to it historically. Xylophone around which masqueradres dance, with carved wooden figure. Two masked players perform on it together, one on each side." [Ottenberg field research notes, September 1959-December 1960, Part I].
"Okonkwo, also called okpoha ngodo, is a dance of young adult men wearing wooden masks and costumes something like those of the akparakpa dancers in the okumkpa, who perform to the music of a xylophone, basket rattles, and in some cases a wooden gong. The xylophone (igeri or akware) is in the center of the common. Composed of nine boards, without calabashes underneath, it was colored orange, black and white, with red, black, and white spots on it. There was a human figure at the end." [ Ottenberg, 1975: Masked rituals of Afikpo, the context of an African art; Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1975].
Collection Restrictions
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Other Archival Materials
Simon Ottenberg Papers are located at the National Anthropological Archives, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution.
EEPA.2000-007_ref1040
Large EAD
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo79e423b24-2184-4c76-9173-821d8d9b75cd
EEPA.2000-007
EEPA
Record ID
ebl-1536864686513-1536864686799-2

Showing 1 result(s)

  • Simon Ottenberg photographs


Discover More

Showing 1 result(s)

  • Chuck Brown plays guitar while standing atop Anacostia's Big Chair in 2003. Photo by Steven M. Cummings. Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution.

    Chuck Brown

arrow-up Back to top
Home
  • Facebook facebook
  • Instagram instagram
  • LinkedIn linkedin
  • YouTube youtube

  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Get Involved
  • Inspector General
  • Records Requests
  • Accessibility
  • EEO & Small Business
  • Shop Online
  • Host Your Event
  • Press Room
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use