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

Njoku shrine inside Ezi Akputa compound, Mgbom village, Afikpo Village-Group, Nigeria

African Art Museum

Njoku shrine inside 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 .
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_ref631
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo73c521a94-bd06-4a52-a4ff-83c5f92b36fa
Local Numbers
O-136/1951-1953 EEPA 2000-070123
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 2000-007-0123
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, "Njoko shrine and Ezi Akputa compound gate, looking out towards joint Ezi Akputa compound and Ezi Ukie compound entrance (around the corner to the left) to Elogo ward square, Mgbom Village." [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. Njoku, the yam shrine, which virtually every adult male owns and which is for the fertility of the yam crop and for welfare, is located in the compound, usually near its entrance, and is in the form of a pot. Those of a major patrilineage are often grouped in one shrine, the pots nearest each other representing men of a single agnatic line. A man establishes his when a diviner advises him that the Njoku spirit is calling him, as a result of poor crops or illness." [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_ref631
Large EAD
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo73c521a94-bd06-4a52-a4ff-83c5f92b36fa
EEPA.2000-007
EEPA
Record ID
ebl-1536864686513-1536864686725-1

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