IDNO

P.7129.ACH1

Description

On Catalogue Card: Dancing women (Ilenge)

Portrait of a Moto-o-keta (woman priest) adorned for performing a spirit-possessed dance. She is probably wearing red ochre body paint with white paint around the eyes, a feather headdress, bead necklaces, a girdle of plantain? leaves with a baboon? skin apron at the front, ankle ornaments, and is holding a rattle.
In the background are a number of spectators, and the Congo river. [JD 25/11/2019]

Place

C Africa; Democratic Republic of Congo; northern Congo

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Photographer

Smith, Kenred (Rev.)

Collector / Expedition

Date

circa 1895 - 1914

Collection Name

Mounted Haddon Collectionvon Hugel Collection

Source

Format

Print Black & White Mounted

Primary Documentation

Other Information

Publication: A cut-out of this image and related text are published in Smith, K., 1920. Congoland: A Book for Young People (Carey Press, London) p.36, and captioned:
"A Witch Doctor."
In the Author's Note, p.ix, Smith makes the acknowledgement:
"While most of the photographs have been taken with my own little camera, I am indebted for others to the kindness of several of my fellow missionaries in Congoland."
[Full text available at https://archive.org/details/congolandbookfor00smit, JD 21/2/2014]

Publication: Image published in Smith, Kenred 'With Christ in Congoland' (transcribed by Keith Smith, 2016) ,p.85, fig. 53, and captioned "Moto-o-keta (KS)."
Related text notes "The Moto-o-keta, called Dweli at Bosogodo, I have seen on several occasions and in different places. Moto-o-keta is usually a woman. Spirit-possessed she, I was told, is herself driven by the urge of the spirit into the forest, where for some time she sleeps on the branches of trees, her food being uncooked millipedes, kongoli. The spirits that are dead, I was assured take possession of her until they control her personality. Having smeared a kind of red ochre over her body, she dresses herself in a girdle of plantain leaves, with a head-covering of monkey-skin, and beads worn as a necklace. On one occasion the Moto-o-keta I saw was arrayed in strips of banana leaves hung round her neck, on her head was an enormous hat of long feathers, and on her ankles a number of dried nuts with seeds inside which rattled as she danced.
Returning from the forest to the town she sings and dances. Her dances are not obscene, but no other woman can, it is said, sing her songs or dance her dances, for she is inspired by the spirits. Other women may and do sing a chorus to her solos. She professes to be able to locate evil spirits and hidden fetich medicine, to discover the causes of illness, and also the people who, by their bewitchments, have caused illness and disease. Moto-o-keta may claim to be able to exorcise an evil spirit, but this is usually the professional work of the Mpandi [fetish priest]. She herself is not able to do this, but in communication with the spirits, and under their inspiration she hears and speaks and acts. ...
"When her tour is complete she will go into her hut, will rest, then one day will be smeared with red powder ngola and will come forth, make a fresh tour of the towns where she has danced, and will receive gifts - brass rods, cloth, beads etc. from her various admirers." [JD 25/11/2019]