IDNO

N.13137.GIJ

Description

Part of the Nkporo Ifogu masquerade.
A close up view of the Ogbo (clown) masquerade character wearing a stylised and grossly distorted human face mask (a protruding forehead, rounded eyes and a large mouth with swollen-like cheeks) painted in at least two colours. The costume is made of raffia sack cloth and the fur of an animal fur is attached to the chest, beneath the front of the mask. The character is standing with one elbow bent and his arm resting on his waist. Around his waist is tied a striped cloth. In the background are thatched buildings and vegetation.

Physical Condition: Slight yellowing of negative.

Place

W Africa; Nigeria; Eastern Nigeria; Cross River; Etitiama village

Cultural Affliation

Igbo [historically Ibo]; Nkporo

Named Person

Photographer

Jones, Gwilliam Iwan (known as G.I.)

Collector / Expedition

Date

1932 - 1938

Collection Name

Jones Collection

Source

Jones, Gwilliam Iwan (known as G.I.)

Format

Film Negative Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

This negative was kept in a film storage album labelled “Masks & Plays - Nkporo.” by G. I. Jones, and numbered “C11/” by the cataloguer.

On the GI Jones website, www.siu.edu/~anthro/mccall/jones/, under,
1. Index to Nkporo Igbo
2. Ogbo (Clown) mask, Boys initiation, Etiti Ama (18th image).
P.60958.GIJ to P.61020 were kept in box 2, now numbered C293/.

Publication: Same image published on John McCall’s G.I. Jones website with the following information: [Source: www.siu.edu/~anthro/mccall/jones/, AF ]
1. Index to Nkporo Igbo
2. Ogbo (Clown) mask and masquerade band, Boys initiation, Etiti Ama (19th image).

Context: Jones describes the Ifogu Nkporo masquerade in depth and the clown character or Ogbo dressed as a women. In reference to the clown character, he observes, “After [the band] came two clowns... [the second clown was masked, and] represented an old woman and carried a knife, a sifting basket and a small gourd container slung round his neck. This clown kept up an endless imitation of an old woman catching crayfish, or danced in an outlandish fashion that delighted the crowd.” (Jones.G.I. 1939, p.120)

Bibliographical Reference: Jones,G.I. 1939, ‘Ifogu Nkporo’, Nigerian Field, Vol. VIII, pp. 119-121.

Publication: The photograph has been digitised for the European Collected Library of Artistic Performance (ECLAP) and is accessible on the portal http://www.eclap.eu/drupal/. [SG 30/10/2012]

This catalogue record has been updated with the support of the Getty Grant Program Two. [Alicia Fentiman 29/12/2007]