IDNO

P.71868.GIJ

Description

The interior of an Obu House with the close up view of two large sculptures. The figure on the left is carrying a pot on her head. The figure is stylised and had a rounded face, elongated decorated neck, a rectangular torso, protruding umbilicus, and squat legs. It is painted white with darker decorations. The other figure is standing and holding a head? in one hand. The figure is stylised with a rounded head, thick neck, elongated torso and thin legs. It is painted white with dark decorative designs. In the far right is a partial view of another figure. The walls of the house are smoothed and in the front of the figures is an incised wooden drum?.

Place

W Africa; Nigeria; South Eastern Nigeria; Cross River

Cultural Affliation

Igbo [historically Ibo]; Abiriba

Named Person

Photographer

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

Collector / Expedition

Date

circa 1930 - 1939

Collection Name

Jones collection

Source

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

Format

Print Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

P.71832.GIJ to P.71970.GIJ were kept in box 7, now numbered C298/.
P.71866.GIJ to P.71870.GIJ were found wrapped in paper, now numbered C298/5/.

Context: Jones discusses the history and concept of the meeting houses. He writes, “Before the colonial period few communities in the Eastern Region had any public buildings. They had their meeting-places, which in the forest zone were clearings under a few large forest trees, and in some of the savannah areas had trees specially planted for this purpose. In some groups the head of a compound, in addition to his own house, had a shed or low-walled building called Obu amongst the Ibo, where he could entertain his friends and where the men and women of the compound could sit and engage in domestic task our of the sun and the rain. When it was necessary for the elders of the village or for the members of a club or other association to meet together they did so at the house or the Obu of one of their senior members. On the Cross River, however, each village had its meeting-house which was also the clubhouse or lodge of its secret society. Where the village was a large one, as amongst the Cross River Ibo, each ward had its own Obu. The plan of the building was the same throughout the area; it was a rectangular hall with a high gabled roof whose ridge pole was supported on three posts set in pedestals of polished clay. The front one, which faced the entrance, was decorated and in many cases carved, the last was hidden in the high walls at the back of the hall which enclosed one or two small rooms housing the secret paraphernalia of the society. The rest of the hall was surrounded by a low wall except for the entrance, which was left open; inside these walls and backing on to them were couches and platforms of polished clay: in the more elaborate examples these were carved with simple patterns and the high wall at the back was decorated with small stones and other objects or had patterns or frescoes painted on it. Amongst the Abam, Abiriba and Ohaffia Ibo the front and the central posts were either carved or had separate wooden statues attached to them, and other statues were erected independently on each side of the entrance. Meeting-houses which belonged to Ekpe (Egbo) and similar secret societies could only be used by initiates of the society, but as all the men of the village were normally members of the society it became the men’s clubhouse. The Abam and Ohaffia meeting-house belonged to the patriclan or ward and all members, including women married into the clan, could use it. It was also used by a secret society and one of the rooms at the back was usually preserved for its paraphernalia. Among the neighbouring Ada Ibo meeting-houses were less elaborately constructed; most of them had a roof but no walls. Women were barred from them as they were used for men’s initiation rituals and the carvings used in their masquerades were kept in the roof (Jones, 1984, p.102).

Publication: Jones, G.I., 1984. The Art of Eastern Nigeria (Cambridge University Press)

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