A wooden ceremonial chalk bowl, known as Okwa nzu, belonging to Chief Vincent Inya, the Icha (ruler) of Ozizza, Ozizza communities, Nigeria

Object Details

Local Numbers: 4/10-1992
General: Title source: Dr. Simon Ottenberg, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.

See more items in: Simon Ottenberg photographs of Limba and Afikpo Peoples; Simon Ottenberg photographs of Limba and Afikpo Peoples / Series 2: Afikpo Peoples, Guinea and Nigeria / Ozizza Communities, Nigeria

Archival Repository: Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

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. Photographs by Pa Huff, Hamaidu Mansaray, and Labelle Prussin are restricted. In these cases, the photographer's permission is required for access and publication of images.

Scope and Contents: This photograph was taken by Dr. Simon Ottenberg while he was invited to receive a chieftaincy title at Afikpo village-group, southeastern Nigeria, from October 11, 1992 to October 20, 1992.; Original caption reads, "Ozizza, the northernmost group of villages at Afikpo, which have long claimed an autonomous relationship to the rest of Afikpo, and are now what is know as an Autonomous Community, with their own chief. During my researches I considered them a part of Afikpo, as they were then, although I did not work strongly in their area. In fact, a fare number of their ancestors were probably never of Igbo descent, but from Cross River peoples, and they speak a dialect of Afikpo Igbo which is sometimes difficult for Afikpo to understand. Many Igbo communities now have chiefs of this kind, where they did not exist before. The role is partly ceremonial, partly a reflection of the influence of an influential person. A wooden Okwa nzu, a ceremonial chalk bowl in Chief Vincent Inya's house. Used for ceremonial purposes, chalk being associated with sacrifice, purity, and health. It is sitting on a carving of a crocodile." [Ottenberg field research notes, October 1992].

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.