Pitt Rivers Museum Luo Visual History

photograph scan of PRM number 1998.204.14.19

1998.204.14.19 (Postcard black and white)

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Key Information

Photographer

Missioni della Consolata, Turin

Description

A postcard portrait of a practitioner of Luo medicine, with numerous adornments. It is very difficult to differentiate between types of Luo traditional medicine practitioners, such as magicians (jabilo) or diviners (ajuoga) since these functions were often fulfilled by the same man or woman. This postcard notes this man to be a 'witch doctor' which could mean a jandagla or jabilo. But from his overall adornment, this man could also be one who is spirit-possessed (jalang'o or jajuogi). He would appear to be a very powerful witch-doctor, owning several expensive items such as a cowrie shell belt, an ostrich eggshell (tong udo) and necklace (rek), hippo tusks, antelope horns and several Colobus monkey tails (kondo bim) both on the head and on the thigh. A number of long gourds hang out from his clothes, possibly containing charms. [Gilbert Oteyo 21/04/2005]

Cultural Group

Luo

Region

Nyanza

Pitt Rivers Source

Unknown

Primary Documentation

Notes on postcard mech. printed - 'East African Types No. 13 Kavirondo Witchdoctor' [CM 05/01/2006]

Date of Photograph

1920 circa

Accession number

1998.204.14.19

Further Information

Photographic Process

Photomechanical

Date Acquired

Unknown

For citation use:
Pitt Rivers Museum Luo Visual History "1998.204.14.19" 6 Jun. 2008. Pitt Rivers Museum. Accessed 19 Nov. 2015 <http://photos.prm.ox.ac.uk/luo/photo/1998.204.14.19/>.

© Pitt Rivers Museum