Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art

Simon Ottenberg photographs of Limba and Afikpo peoples

Summary

Silver rings worn on left hand fingers of Alimamy Salifu Mansaray, Chief of Wara Wara Bafodea Chiefdom, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone
Silver rings worn on left hand fingers of Alimamy Salifu Mansaray, Chief of Wara Wara Bafodea Chiefdom, Bafodea Town, Sierra Leone
Collection ID:
EEPA.2005-001
Creators:
Ottenberg, Simon
Dates:
between 1978-1992
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
3145 Slides (photographs)
color
Repository:
The collection primarily includes photographs of Limba peoples taken by anthropologist Simon Ottenberg during field research in northern Sierra Leone within Bafodea Town, the capital of Wara Wara Bafodea Chiefdom, and Guinea, from October 1978 through July 1980. The collection also includes photographs taken while conducting field research at an Afikpo village-group, in southeastern Nigeria, from January 30, 1988 to February 5, 1988 and in 1992.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The collection primarily includes photographs of Limba peoples taken by anthropologist Simon Ottenberg during field research in northern Sierra Leone within Bafodea Town, the capital of Wara Wara Bafodea Chiefdom, and Guinea, from October 1978 through July 1980. The collection also includes photographs taken while conducting field research at Afikpo village-groups in Guinea and southeastern Nigeria, from January 30, 1988 to February 5, 1988 and in 1992. There are also some photographs by Pa Huff, a Wesleyan Methodist Minister, Venice Lamb, and Professor Labelle Prussin.

Arrangement note

Arrangement note
The collection is arranged into two series by peoples, and further arranged by location.
  • Arrangement
  • Series 1: Limba Peoples, Sierra Leone and Guinea, 1978-1980
  • Subseries 1.1: Field Research, Year One, October 1978-August 1979
  • Subseries 1.2: Field Research, Year Two, September 1979-1980
  • Series 2: Afikpo Peoples, Guinea and Nigeria, 1988, 1992

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Simon Ottenberg (1923-) is Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at the University of Washington. He studied under Melville J. Herskovits and William R. Bascom at Northwestern University. He was a 1970 Guggenheim fellow. He has written at least seven scholarly books and has curated numerous exhibitions.

Administration

Author
Eden Orelove
Processing Information
Finding aid by Eden Orelove, 2018. Slides digitized in 2017.
Custodial History
16 photographs taken by Pa Huff, a Wesleyan Methodist Minister, at Bafodea old town and new town were donated to Ottenberg in 1999 by former field assistant Paul Hamaidu Mansaray.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Use
Permission to reproduce images from the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives must be obtained in advance. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Photographs by Pa Huff, Hamaidu Mansaray, and Labelle Prussin are restricted. In these cases, the photographer's permission is required for access and publication of images.
Conditions Governing Access note
Use of original records requires an appointment. Contact Archives staff for more details.
Related Archival Materials note
Related EEPA collections include: EEPA 1996-020 and EEPA 1994-012 (video-recorded interviews conducted by Ottenberg), and EEPA 2000-007 (photographs taken in Southeastern Nigeria within the Afikpo Village Group).
Simon Ottenberg Papers are located at the National Anthropological Archives, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Fulbe (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Beadwork Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Color slides Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Headdresses -- headgear -- Africa Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rites and ceremonies -- Africa Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Clothing and dress -- Africa Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Nigeria Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cultural landscapes Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sierra Leone Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Guinea Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Black-and-white transparencies Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Music Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Igbo (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mandingo (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Limba (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dance Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Africa Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Weavers Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Fula (African people) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ottenberg, Simon Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art
National Museum of African Art
P.O. Box 37012
MRC 708
Washington, DC 20013-7012
elisofonarchives@si.edu