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Wife painting legs of her husband before the ceremony of joining uhie ci title society, Ezi Ukwu compound, Mgbom village, Afikpo Village-Group, Nigeria

African Art Museum

Wife painting legs of her husband before the ceremony of joining uhie ci title society, Ezi Ukwu compound, Mgbom village, Afikpo Village-Group, Nigeria
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Object Details

sova.eepa.2000-007_ref654
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo7d3d2815a-1979-4166-b6cf-1e3cdfbdcf4e
Local Numbers
O-165/1951-1953 EEPA 2000-070146
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
Body arts
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 2000-007-0146
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, "Man taking ukie chi title, Ezi Ukwu compound, Ndibe Village. Another wife of uhie chi title taker painting camwood on his legs in front of his house, for the event." [Ottenberg field research notes, O Series,December 1951-March 1953].
"In afikpo there are some twenty different named titles (meme), for men and three for women. These are not forms of address but positions acquired by joining a title society. The societies are variously organized on the basis of compounds, wards, groups of villages, and Afikpo as a whole; some are secret and associated with the village secret society, while other are public. A person joins a title society by feasting its members, presenting them the title fee in money or goods or both, which are then divided among the members. Both the secret and nonsecret titles that a person has taken are generally known and add to his prestige and influence. There was no central shrine for all amadi in Afikpo, but there was an amadi center for each of the five subgroups of Afikpo, where the first shrine established in that subgroup was located. This division was for the taking of a certain title, uhie ci, for the division of money and goods collected in return for judging certain disputes, and for the members to meet together." [Ottenberg S., 1971: Leadership and Authority 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_ref654
Large EAD
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo7d3d2815a-1979-4166-b6cf-1e3cdfbdcf4e
EEPA.2000-007
EEPA
Record ID
ebl-1536864686513-1536864686729-3

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