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Ibini okpabe shrine in front of the Nsi omomo shrine, in Ezi Akputa compound, Mgbom village, Afikpo Village-Group, Nigeria

African Art Museum

Ibini okpabe shrine in front of the Nsi omomo shrine, in Ezi Akputa compound, Mgbom village, Afikpo Village-Group, Nigeria
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
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Object Details

sova.eepa.2000-007_ref589
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo7d852f60a-5407-499d-a42a-63c018239b32
Local Numbers
O-89/1951-1953 EEPA 2000-070081
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
Cultural landscapes
Vernacular architecture
Religious buildings
Shrines
Photographer
Ottenberg, Simon
Culture
Igbo (African people)
See more items in
Simon Ottenberg photographs
Extent
1 Slide (col.)
Date
1951-1953
Custodial History
Donated by Simon Ottenberg, 2000.
Archival Repository
Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art
Identifier
EEPA.2000-007, Item EEPA 2000-007-0081
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.
Genre/Form
Color slides
Scope and Contents
This photograph was taken by Dr. Simon Ottenberg while conducting field research at Afikpo village-group, southeastern Nigeria, from December 1951 to March 1953.
Original title reads, "Ibini okpabe shrine in front of the Nri omume shrine, Oforo's home, Ezi Akputa compound, Mgbom Village. The former shrine derives from the Arochukwu area, an Igbo group some distance south of Afikpo." [Ottenberg field research notes, O Series,December 1951-March 1953].
"Religion plays an important role at Afikpo in almost every sphere of life. Everywhere there are shrines to humanlike and nonhuman supernatural forces. Often they are placed at the base of a tree, in a group of natural rocks or specifically constructed rock platforms, or in a shrine house, or are found at farms, along paths, in the commons of villages, in the compounds, sometimes even inside dwelling places. The shrines symbolize the diversity of beliefs, rituals, and history in the village group. Ward elders perform sacrifices at shrines for which the ward executive grade provides much of the sacrificial materials. One commonly found shrine, Ibini okpabe, to the Aro Chuku oracle, is located outside of the ward resthouse. It usually has no priest, a thank offering being given it by an interested elder at the New Yam Festival and at other times on the suggestion of a diviner. Another important major patrilineal shrine is Nsi omomo (medicine-birth), primarly for fertility, but also concerned with general welfare. The shrine is for the whole lineage. The controlling group selects the priest, who may also be the ancestral shrine priest, in the usual manner." [Ottenberg S., 1968: Double Descent in an African Society; the Afikpo Village-Group. University of Washington Press].
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_ref589
Large EAD
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo7d852f60a-5407-499d-a42a-63c018239b32
EEPA.2000-007
EEPA
Record ID
ebl-1536864686513-1536864686717-2

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