Pitt Rivers Museum Luo Visual History

photograph scan of PRM number 1998.349.152.1

1998.349.152.1 (Film negative)

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Key Information

Photographer

Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard

Description

A traditional Luo house (ot) in a homestead (dala). The roof is grass thatch and walls smeared and smoothed with soil and cow dung. The outside is then extended by standing posts (siro pl. sirni) and the roof makes an overhang to cover this area (agola). This area is basically a working space. You can see a large quartz grinding stone (pong') with its small upper lap (nyapong') for grinding maize, millet or sorghum into flour. There are also pots (agulu pl. agulini) for storage of water, ash grain etc. A mat made of split papyrus stems and for airing grain in the sun is seen spread outside ready for that purpose. The village cockerel (thuon dala) is seen wandering in front of the house. It was never slaughtered simply for food unless part of a specific ritual. [Gilbert Oteyo 9/9/2004]

Cultural Group

Luo

Region

Nyanza Alego Uyoma

Pitt Rivers Source

Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard

Date of Photograph

1936

Accession number

1998.349.152.1

Further Information

Photographic Process

Negative film nitrate

Date Acquired

Donated 1988

For citation use:
Pitt Rivers Museum Luo Visual History "1998.349.152.1" 6 Jun. 2008. Pitt Rivers Museum. Accessed 19 Nov. 2015 <http://photos.prm.ox.ac.uk/luo/photo/1998.349.152.1/>.

© Pitt Rivers Museum