Pitt Rivers Museum Luo Visual History

photograph scan of PRM number 1998.349.149.1

1998.349.149.1 (Film negative)

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Key Information

Photographer

Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard

Description

A portrait of a man wearing a traditional hat with foliage (bumbwe) decoration. This round hat is called olendo and his white goatskin is pien nyadiel. He is also wearing wrist-rings (minyonge) on each hand. Men who adopted such dress were known to be possessed by spirits (ja mumbo). Possession by the spirit of mumbo was a particular feature of this period of Luo culture. In this photograph the man is rightly described as wearing "olendo with bumbwe" (wild shrubs) around his hat and as a "Jamumbo" (a man possessed by spirits). [Gilbert Oteyo 9/9/2004]

Cultural Group

Luo

Region

Nyanza

Pitt Rivers Source

Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard

Date of Photograph

1936

Accession number

1998.349.149.1

Further Information

Photographic Process

Negative film nitrate

Date Acquired

Donated 1988

For citation use:
Pitt Rivers Museum Luo Visual History "1998.349.149.1" 6 Jun. 2008. Pitt Rivers Museum. Accessed 19 Nov. 2015 <http://photos.prm.ox.ac.uk/luo/photo/1998.349.149.1/>.

© Pitt Rivers Museum