IDNO

P.49872.DRI

Description

"4. Lango dance." [Driberg's caption]

A group of Lango men and younger boys perform the 'myel me bilo' dance. Driberg writes that, customarily, dancers stand with their legs together and arms bent forward at the elbow holding a stick. From this position, they leap in uniformity and often turn around before landing to the music. (Driberg 1923, pp.126-127).

In the foreground, a younger boy is seen in a crouching position slightly earlier than the other individuals. In the centre of the background is the thatched roof of a building, with a smaller roof to the left of it. [LS 25/07/23]

Place

E Africa; Uganda; Southern Sudan [Lango District]

Cultural Affliation

Lango

Named Person

Photographer

Driberg, Jack Herbert

Collector / Expedition

Date

circa 1912 - 1921

Collection Name

Driberg CollectionUnmounted Haddon Collection

Source

Format

Print Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

P.49848.ACH2. to P.49875.ACH2. were found in envelope now marked C210/1/. This was found in another envelope now marked C210/ which came from the wooden drawer 1.

Place: The Place field was previously recorded as being "Africa; East Africa; ?Uganda", but the Lango is a group from what was known as the sub-region of Lango District, Uganda. A photograph of the series, P.49860.ACH2, has now being identified as Driberg’s, who worked with the Lango of Uganda between 1912 - 1921. The Place field has been amended accordingly. [Source: Ethnologue 15th Edition, JD 19/6/2009]

Photographer: The handwriting on the reverse of the prints P.49848.ACH2. to P.49875.ACH2 is the same as on P.49860.ACH2, which has been identified as J.H.Driberg’s. The Photographer and Date fields have been amended accordingly. [JD 19/6/2009]

Bibliographical Reference: In Driberg, J.H. and Coryndon, R.T. 1923. 'The Lango a Nilotic tribe of Uganda' (London: Fisher Unwin) Driberg discusses various types of Lango dances in his chapter on the "Mode of Life" on page 126-127. This photo appears to match Driberg's description of the "myel me bilo". This dance is performed by men and women, the performers standing with their legs together and arms bent forward at the elbow holding a stick. From this position they jump straight up into the air, ever and anon flinging their legs sideways with a shout as they leap, or turning round before coming back to earth, and repeat the process in perfect time to the music for long periods at a stretch." Driberg goes on to admire this as dance as a "fine exercise and requires a high standard of stamina and muscular energy."