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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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  • Cloth of European and native thread, woven by the weaver Dunto Kamara, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Son of the Fulbe blacksmith Kaparana, in dress typically worn during the weeks preceding initiation dance, performs acrobatic dance in front of a Fulbe musical ensemble, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Acrobatic dance that marks Gbondokalii, the boys initiation music, preceding the night before going to the bush, Kamabonsi Village, Sierra Leone

  • New iron tools made by Sori Bailor at the blacksmith shed, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

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

  • View of the new town, from the abandoned Yagala old site, Yagala village, Sierra Leone

  • Single wide band of Fulani cloth from Guinea, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Village scene looking toward Bafodea Town, Sakuta Village, Sierra Leone

  • The weaver, Bula, weaving at his standing loom, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Kabaya farm village, near Telia Village, Sierra Leone

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

  • Kaparana, a Fulbe blacksmith, red incising a wood storage box, Kamabungbu village, Sierra Leone

  • Round houses with thatched roofs, Sirekude Village, Sierra Leone

  • Section chief Siaka Kamara wearing a kusaibe gown, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

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

  • Mandingo musician with his balaphon at memorial for a non-Muslim Limba village head, Kadanso Village, Sierra Leone

  • Girls, some wearing beaded headbands, dancing and playing samburi drums before the beginning of their initiation, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Bakunto, a men's secret society (Gbangbani) gong, inside Yeredi Mansaray blacksmith shed, Kamagbembe village, Sierra Leone

  • Painting on cloth by Olayinka Burney-Nical, Freetown, Sierra Leone

  • Standing human figure, carved by a local artist, Freetown, Sierra Leone

  • Limba weaver working at his loom, near Hindia Village, Guinea

  • Cattle enclosure in a Fulbe village, near Kamagbembe village, Sierra Leone

  • Girl wearing colored beaded headband at her preinitiation dance, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Undecorated clay medicine pot, from the Kamuke Chiefdom area, near Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

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

  • Cloth of European and native thread, woven by Pay Yaya, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Rainbow, a large, youthful contemporary ensemble performing music, dance, song and masquerade, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

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

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

  • Paul Hamidu Mansaray playing drum at the Mantia River swamp area, near Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Women using fana to separate earth out of beans, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Baskets made by Muctaro Mansaray, a blind musician, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Hammock made by Mohamed Sisay, a Mandingo man, Kamagbembe village, Sierra Leone

  • Girls, elaborately dressed and covered with heavy oil, after their return from the stream to the village, perform a last, very controlled dance during final initiation phase, called "washing hands" or "turning" kakunutu, Sakuta Village, Sierra Leone

  • Fulbe cloth made of European black and white thread, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Female relatives of Limba boys who perform acrobatic dance for their initiation rite, Gbondokali, shortly before going to the bush. Kasatinti Village, Sierra Leone

  • Women's group of several older women imitating the late Pa Bayo, at his memorial, also called second funeral, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • The weaver, Pa Modi, holding boat behind his loom, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Stamps used by hu ronko shirt preparer Dunto, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Two native made cloths, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Ruins of a wall made of stones, abandoned Yagala old site, Yagala village, Sierra Leone

  • Girl wearing colored beaded headband at her preinitiation dance, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Lansina Bangura, a male professional dancer, performing with Mayoi musical group, Kamanda Village, Sierra Leone

  • Carved cane with standing female figure at the top, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Boy wearing undyed native waistpiece, Kamanda Village, Sierra Leone

  • The weaver, Pa Modi, rolling up layed out black and white thread, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Groundnuts (peanuts) pulled out of the ground, near Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Kamanda Village, Sierra Leone

  • Son of Kaparana, a Fulbe blacksmith, incising a wood storage box, Kamabungbu village, Sierra Leone

  • Sword, scabbard and a charm belonging to the late Pa Bayo Mansaray, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Nuhu Kamara wearing traditional hunter cap, shirt and native pants, Kamabonsi Village, Sierra Leone

  • Limba boys, on the shoulders of their followers, returning from the bush where they were dressed in an elaborate costume and beaded band hanging down the front of their chest, shortly before performing final acrobatic dance for their preinitiation period, Kadankan Village, Sierra Leone

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

  • The weaver, Suma Mannio Mansaray, rolling up the laid out thread, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Girls dancing and playing samburi drums during final initiation phase, called "washing hands" or "turning" kakunutu, Kakoya Village, Sierra Leone

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

  • The weaver, Suma Mannio Mansaray, winding up recently dyed gara warp native thread, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

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

  • End of an hammock, Kamagbembe village, Sierra Leone

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

  • Fulbe style wooden chair at the home of village chief of Kasongo, Kasongo Village, Sierra Leone

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

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

  • Muslim protective charm, called hatumere, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Killing a cow the day Alaph Musa, the new Youth Leader, was crowned, Telia Village, Sierra Leone

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

  • Limba woman with body scarifications, Kadankan village, Sierra Leone

  • Magical protective saraka sleeveless shirt, made of seven bands with tassels, prepared by Pa Suma Mannio Mansaray, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Painted figure carved by Mohamed Bangura, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Village chiefs gathering, at the memorial for a non-Muslim Limba village head, Kadanso Village, Sierra Leone

  • Limba men rolling thread, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

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

  • The weaver, Bula, weaving at his standing loom, Bafodea Town, 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

  • Natural landscape around the village, near Hindia Village, Guinea

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

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

  • Cotton beadspread belonging to the Bafodea Chiefdom Court Chief, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Mortars, showing beveled edges, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Labe, Guinea

  • Girls, accompanied by their followers, return from the stream to the village for a last, very controlled dance during final initiation phase, called "washing hands" or "turning" kakunutu, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Girls, some wearing beaded headbands, dancing and playing samburi drums before the beginning of their initiation, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Mariama Mansaray sewing cloths for tie dying, native thread, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Worshippers leaving the Prayer Day grounds, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

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

  • Pa Wosi Conteh preparing thread to sew, beeswax in his right hand, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Kurunkeme, the smaller form of beaded band, Seredugu Village, Sierra Leone

  • Members of the women secret society, Bondo, dancing and singing after the female initiands has been moved off into the bush, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

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

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

  • Pair of earrings and a finger ring, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Musicians performing for farm work group near Kamatemgbe farm, outside of Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

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

  • Female relatives of Limba boys who perform acrobatic dance for their initiation rite, Gbondokali, shortly before going to the bush. Kasatinti Village, Sierra Leone

  • Pa Dunto rolling European thread on a stick for weaving, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

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

  • Mortars, showing beveled edges, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone

  • Traditional round houses with thatched roofs, Hindia Village, Guinea

  • Yoyo Mansaray working on scarf fringes using a bow and native thread, 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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