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Simon Ottenberg photographs of Limba and Afikpo Peoples

National Museum of African Art

Object Details

Photographer
Ottenberg, Simon
Collector
Ottenberg, Simon
Place
Nigeria
Sierra Leone
Guinea
Africa
Occupation
Weavers
Topic
Beadwork
Headdresses -- headgear -- Africa
Rites and ceremonies -- Africa
Clothing and dress -- Africa
Cultural landscapes
Music
Dance
Photographer
Ottenberg, Simon
Culture
Fulbe (African people)
Igbo (African people)
Mandingo (African people)
Limba (African people)
Fula (African people)
See more items in
Simon Ottenberg photographs of Limba and Afikpo Peoples
Summary
The collection primarily includes photographs of Limba peoples taken by anthropologist Simon Ottenberg during field research in northern Sierra Leone within Bafodea Town, the capital of Wara Wara Bafodea Chiefdom, and Guinea, from October 1978 through July 1980. The collection also includes photographs taken while conducting field research at an Afikpo village-group, in southeastern Nigeria, from January 30, 1988 to February 5, 1988 and in 1992.
Biographical / Historical
Simon Ottenberg (1923-) is Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at the University of Washington. He studied under Melville J. Herskovits and William R. Bascom at Northwestern University. He was a 1970 Guggenheim fellow. He has written at least seven scholarly books and has curated numerous exhibitions.
Extent
3145 Slides (photographs) (color)
Date
between 1978-1992
Custodial History
16 photographs taken by Pa Huff, a Wesleyan Methodist Minister, at Bafodea old town and new town were donated to Ottenberg in 1999 by former field assistant Paul Hamaidu Mansaray.
Archival Repository
Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art
Identifier
EEPA.2005-001
Type
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Slides (photographs)
Color slides
Black-and-white transparencies
Arrangement note
The collection is arranged into two series by peoples, and further arranged by location. Arrangement Series 1: Limba Peoples, Sierra Leone and Guinea, 1978-1980 Subseries 1.1: Field Research, Year One, October 1978-August 1979 Subseries 1.2: Field Research, Year Two, September 1979-1980 Series 2: Afikpo Peoples, Guinea and Nigeria, 1988, 1992
Processing Information
Finding aid by Eden Orelove, 2018. Slides digitized in 2017.
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.
Genre/Form
Color slides
Black-and-white transparencies
Scope and Contents
The collection primarily includes photographs of Limba peoples taken by anthropologist Simon Ottenberg during field research in northern Sierra Leone within Bafodea Town, the capital of Wara Wara Bafodea Chiefdom, and Guinea, from October 1978 through July 1980. The collection also includes photographs taken while conducting field research at Afikpo village-groups in Guinea and southeastern Nigeria, from January 30, 1988 to February 5, 1988 and in 1992. There are also some photographs by Pa Huff, a Wesleyan Methodist Minister, Venice Lamb, and Professor Labelle Prussin.
Restrictions
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Related Archival Materials note
Related EEPA collections include: EEPA 1996-020 and EEPA 1994-012 (video-recorded interviews conducted by Ottenberg), and EEPA 2000-007 (photographs taken in Southeastern Nigeria within the Afikpo Village Group). Simon Ottenberg Papers are located at the National Anthropological Archives, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution.
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1536868297930-1536868298400-0
Metadata Usage
CC0

In the Collection

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  • Limba boy, wearing his initiation dance dress and beaded band hanging down the front of his chest, performs acrobatic dance for his initiation rite, Gbondokali, shortly before going to the bush, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Mohamed Bangura, a wood carver, making an animal figure, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Kadankan Village, Sierra Leone

  • Cattle for sale, Bindi market, Sierra Leone

  • Animal horn used as protective charm in the secret female society of senior ladies, called Kulongpan, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Standing male figure, carved by Limba boys, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Limba women singing at the time boys, to be initiated, are being dressed with their elaborate initiation dance dress, Seredugu village, Sierra Leone

  • Open courthouse, called barrie, and the town square, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Grave of Yansu, the late Sirekude Village head, Sirekude Village, Sierra Leone

  • Mohamed Bangura, a wood carver, making a bird figure, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Daba Kamara shaping large clay pot, Kamanda Village, Sierra Leone

  • The weavers, Pa Modi and Sara Conteh, laying down native white cotton thread, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • The weaver, Pa Modi, attaching the warp threads at the beginning end, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Gara dyed native made cotton scarf, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Iron gongs called kukengken, usually played along long drum called kusung, Siemamaya Village, Sierra Leone

  • Decorated wood storage box belonging to Pa Sori, Kamagbembe village, Sierra Leone

  • Momodu Mansaray and Pa Darisa weaving at a double standing loom, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Adze, called sodi, used by Salifu Mansaray, town carpenter, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Limba boys about to perform acrobatic dance for their initiation rite, Gbondokali, shortly before going to the bush, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Mohamed Bangura, a wood carver, making an standing female figure, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Seven band cloth with gara striped thread, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Equipment for rolling thead, near Hindia Village, Guinea

  • Beaded headband, called kuta, Siemamaya Village, Sierra Leone

  • Daba Kamara shaping large clay pot, Kamanda Village, Sierra Leone

  • Field Research, Year Two

  • Limba boys, in dress typically worn during the weeks preceding their initiation dance, practice their acrobatic dance Seredugu Village, Sierra Leone

  • Limba girl with creative hairstyle including braids and cornrows, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Mortar resting upside down, showing incised decorations, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Girl wearing colored kuta headband at her initiation dance, Kakpongpon Village, Sierra Leone

  • Large wrap-around cloth, called tika, from the old Kamuke chiefdom area, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Female relatives with metal plates to receive small sums in coins while attending the boys preinitiation dance, Kasapena Village, Sierra Leone

  • The Fulbe weaver, Mabo, making a beater used in weaving, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Binti and Soda performing with Mayoi musical group at memorial, also called second funeral, for the late Alymamy Sayo, Kamagbembe Village, Sierra Leone

  • Traditional embroidered hats, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Decorated posts at the house of the village Chief, Siemamaya Village, Sierra Leone

  • The weaver, Pa Modi, weaving tan wool and white native cotton thread weft for the Paramount Chief of Wara Wara Bafodea Chiefdom, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Sword and scabbard belonging to Pa Hamidu Mansaray, Kamagbembe village, Sierra Leone

  • Daba Kamara shaping clay pots, Kamanda Village, Sierra Leone

  • Eastern half of Bafodea Town from Mission Hill, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Miniature knife used as a protective charm, called saraka, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Decorations on slit wood gong, called nkali, Kamagbembe village, Sierra Leone

  • The newly crowned Youth Leader, Alpha Musa, carried in a hammock, Kadanso Village, Sierra Leone

  • Samburi drum made by Suma Mannio Mansaray, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Large wrap-around cloth, called tika, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Carved Gbangbani men's secret society gong, Wara Wara Bafodea Chiefdom, Sierra Leone

  • Carved Gbangbani men's secret society horn, Sierra Leone

  • Binti and Soda performing with Mayoi musical group at memorial, also called second funeral, for the late Alymamy Sayo, Kamagbembe Village, Sierra Leone

  • The weaver, Pa Modi, rolling out cloth band made of gara warp thread, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Village shrine with house post, Kasasi Village, Sierra Leone

  • At the end of their bush period, initiated boys, coming out to their community in single file, wearing their brown native cloths and native cloth cap. They also carry on their shoulder a small decorated wood slit gong. Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Limba women, accompanied by male musicians, weeding rice field in the Mantia River swamp area, near Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Alimamy Salifu Mansaray, Paramount Chief of Wara Wara Bafodea Chiefdom, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Mariama Mansaray with creative hairstyle including braids and cornrows, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Boy, to be initiated, at the ceremony of measuring the cloth to be used by him in the bush, part of the preliminary activities of Limba intiation rites, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Limba woman, Yenba Mansaray, with face scarifications, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Hu ronko shirt prepared by Pa Wosi Conteh, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Decorated wood storage box, Kamagbembe village, Sierra Leone

  • Communal labor of clearing land at Mantia River swamp area, near Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • The weaver, Suma Mannio Mansaray, stringing thread through heddles, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • End parts of an hammock decorated by Sayo Kamara, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Mohamed Bangura, a wood carver, making an standing female figure, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Girls, wearing headties, dancing and singing at the first phase of their initiation rites, Kadanso Village, Sierra Leone

  • Padlock protective charms, called saraka, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Lawrence Kamara and friends drinking palm wine, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • The weaver Salifu Mansaray working at a side loom, Kamanda Village, Sierra Leone

  • Yoyo Mansaray preparing a gara dyed native made cotton scarf, called lisa, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Back of stamped hu ronko shirts, from the Yalunka people, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • The author playing large two-headed cylindrical drum, huban, used only in the Poro musical ensemble, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Dugout canoe for crossing the Mongo River, near Kamabonsi Village, Sierra Leone

  • Female relatives, with decorated gourd spoon, of a Limba boy before he performs acrobatic dance for his initiation rite, Gbondokali, shortly before going to the bush, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Paul Hamidu Mansaray playing the flute, Kamagbembe village, Sierra Leone

  • Girls, wearing colored beaded headband, dancing and singing at their preinitiation dance, Kadanso Village, Sierra Leone

  • Mural painting by Olayinka Burney-Nical, Freetown, Sierra Leone

  • Silver rings, off of the hand, worn on left hand fingers of Alimamy Salifu Mansaray, Chief of Wara Wara Bafodea Chiefdom, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Miniature pan-roof style house, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Decorated wood storage box, Kakpongpon Village, Sierra Leone

  • Kasatinti Village, Sierra Leone

  • Red necklace, leather hair piece and beads of European facture, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Necklace made of porcupine quill sections, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Musician playing flexible under-arm skin drum, called hutamba, during communal farm work, Seredugu Village, Sierra Leone

  • Small decorative fana for sale, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Comb belonging to a woman, near Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Katia Kamara wearing wrap-around cloth, called tika, from the old Kamuke chiefdom area, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Alimamy Salifu Mansaray, Chief of Wara Wara Bafodea Chiefdom, making a speech, Kadanso Village, Sierra Leone

  • Carved Gbangbani men's secret society gongs, placed against a tree, in a grove outside the village, Kambalia Village, Sierra Leone

  • Daba Kamara preparing mud in order to shape new clay pots, Kamanda Village, Sierra Leone

  • Wives of the late Pa Hono, a Limba village head, at his second funeral, Kadanso Village, Sierra Leone

  • The Imam of Bafodea town and his daughters, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Kakoya Village, Sierra Leone

  • Short hu ronko leggings stamped by Yata, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Two flexible under-arm skin drums, called hutamba, Seredugu Village, Sierra Leone

  • At the end of their bush period, initiated boys wearing their brown native cloth and native cloth cap. Kamanda Village, Sierra Leone

  • Suma Mannio Mansaray making a fana used to shake rice free from chaff, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Seven potsherds, found in Bafodea Town old site, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Plain black pottery of Yalunka people origin, Kayago Village, Sierra Leone

  • Two boys from Seredugu village playing slit wood gongs, called nkali, during the day of activities before a wedding, Siemamaya Village, Sierra Leone

  • Western half of Bafodea Town from Mission Hill, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Cloth of European and native thread, made by the weaver Pa Modi, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Traditional dwellings, Dalipoto Village, Sierra Leone

  • The weaver, Pa Modi, sewing a kusaibe gown with gara blue thread stripes, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

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Silver rings worn on left hand fingers of Alimamy Salifu Mansaray, Chief of Wara Wara Bafodea Chiefdom, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone
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