National Anthropological Archives

William F. Wheeler photographs of Africa and Efe people, 1986-1998

Summary

Collection ID:
NAA.PhotoLot.2005-19
Creators:
Wheeler, William F. (William Felix), 1943-2008
Dates:
1986-1998
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
5,200 Color slides
circa
Repository:

Scope and Contents note

Scope and Contents note
Photographs made by William F. Wheeler during his expeditions to Africa in July 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1996, and 1998, mostly documenting the Efe of Akokora in the Ituri forest. Photographs relating to the Efe people of Akokora in the Ituri forest include images of Efe people, camps, musical instruments, dances, archery and poison arrows, hunting, barkcloth making and use, body marking, food, animals and plants of the rainforest, forest treks, villages (including Anduli, Dui, and Akokora). Other photographs include images of ceremonies (including an Olngesherr ceremony in the Loita Hills), Mbuti at Epulu, a Masai village in Kenya, William Wheeler's wedding to Linda Penn in a Masai village (1987), Berber nomads and scenic views in Algeria, markets and Tuaregs during a camel trip through Niger, and aerial views.

Biographical/Historical note

Biographical/Historical note
William F. Wheeler (1943-2008) was born in Blackville, South Carolina, and earned a medical degree from Duke University and a specialty degree in anesthesiology at Massachusetts General in Boston. In 1978, after years of practicing medicine, he began traveling Africa by car, making over twenty-four trips during the next three decades. To gain a more intimate experience, he returned to explore the most remote places on foot. His detailed safari journals, written in the style of 19th century explorers, describe camel journeys in the Sahara, foot safaris with Maasai in Kenya and Tanzania, and hundreds of miles of treks with Efe through the rainforest of the Ituri river basin, a tributary of the Congo River. Wheeler's collection of artifacts and photographs formed the basis of a 2004 exhibit at the San Diego Museum of Man.

Administration

Author
Lorain Wang, Sarah Ganderup
Existence and Location of Copies note
Digital surrogates for Efe Pygmy photos are available.
Custodial History note
5,245 slides of Efe Pygmies donated by William F. Wheeler in 2005. The rest of the slides, mostly other parts of Africa, donated by his daughters Emily Cardey and Amy Kocourek in 2010 and 2011, respectively.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access note
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Conditions Governing Use note
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Preferred Citation note
Photo Lot 2005-19, William F. Wheeler photographs of Africa and Efe people, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

Location of Other Archival Materials

Location of Other Archival Materials
Photographs previously filed in Photo Lot 2005-19 have been relocated and merged with Photo Lot 2010-21. These photographs were also made by William F. Wheeler in Africa and form part of this collection.
Location of Other Archival Materials
The National Anthropological Archives also holds the William F. Wheeler Efe Pgymy Papers, 1999-2004 (MS 2005-14).
Location of Other Archival Materials
Artifacts collected by Wheeler held in the Department of Anthropology collections in accessions 2036145, 2034089, and 2033754.

More Information

Local Call Number(s)

Local Call Number(s)
NAA Photo Lot 2005-19
,
NAA ACC 2010-21

Bibliography

Bibliography
Photographs published in William F. Wheeler, Efe Pygmies: Archers of the African Rain Forest, New York : Rizzoli, 2000.

Other Finding Aids note

Other Finding Aids note
Inventory available in repository.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Ituri Forest (Congo) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hunting Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Algeria Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Kenya Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Maasai (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mbuti (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Camps Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rites and ceremonies Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ngorongoro Crater (Tanzania) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Niger Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Tuaregs Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mali Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Pygmies Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Slides (photographs) Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Efe (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

National Anthropological Archives
Museum Support Center
4210 Silver Hill Road
Suitland, Maryland 20746
naa@si.edu