photograph scan of PRM number 1998.349.138.1

1998.349.138.1 (Film negative)

Key Information

Photographer

Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard

Description

A group of young Luo men posed ready to perform the funeral ceremony of driving away death known as tero buru (or simply buru). They are holding spears (tonge) and cowhide shields (okumba). The shields are geometrically decorated, with light and dark contrasting designs. They are adorned with vegetation (bombwe). Some of them are also adorned in expensive traditional gear probably borrowed from elder men. One has hippo teeth (lak rao) hanging across his mouth from the headdress (ogudu) and another hanging on his chest. The man in the center has cowry shell hat (ogut gagi) and a number of ostrich eggshell beads (rek) around his neck and across his chest to the side. He also has a special and expensive metal chain belt (thiwni) over his shirt on his waist. There are also ostrich feathers (kondo udo) stuck on his shield. There is a woman to his left who is also wearing a colobus monkey tail hair hat (kondo bim). [Gilbert Oteyo 9/9/2004]

Cultural Group

Luo

Region

Nyanza

Pitt Rivers Source

Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard

Date of Photograph

1936

Accession number

1998.349.138.1

Further Information

Photographic Process

Negative film nitrate

Date Acquired

Donated 1988

For citation use:
Pitt Rivers Museum Luo Visual History "1998.349.138.1" 6 Jun. 2008. Pitt Rivers Museum. Accessed 19 Nov. 2015 <http://photos.prm.ox.ac.uk/luo/photo/1998.349.138.1/>.