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Line of masqueraders in the njenji parade at Ezi Nwachi compound, Ndibe Village, Afikpo Village-Group, Nigeria

African Art Museum

Line of masqueraders in the njenji parade at Ezi Nwachi compound, Ndibe 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_ref988
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo754adee10-64d8-460c-ac26-b7bc6ad74b02
Local Numbers
255/1959-1960 EEPA 2000-070480
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
Clothing and dress -- Africa
Cultural landscapes
Masquerades
Masks
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 2000-007-0480
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 while conducting field research at Afikpo village-group, southeastern Nigeria, from September 1959 to December 1960.
Original caption reads, "Mgbom njenje parade players at Ndibe Village." [Ottenberg field research notes, September 1959-December 1960, Part I].
"The most elaborate masquerade, njenji, presented as part of the four-day Dry Season Festival, Iko Okoci, is a parade of the young adult members through many of the communities of afikpo. The masked paraders walk in a line, arranged in an order of descending age. Many players are dressed in costumes that make them appear as females. Some walk side by side as couples, dressed as man and wife, frequently in European-style dress. Other paraders are costumed as scholars, priests, or as Muslims. The players are arranged by the type of wooden mask they wear. Accompanying the masked line are small groups of net-masked dancers in various raffia and costumes who dance and prance about." [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_ref988
Large EAD
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/xo754adee10-64d8-460c-ac26-b7bc6ad74b02
EEPA.2000-007
EEPA
Record ID
ebl-1536864686513-1536864686789-1

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