Pitt Rivers Museum Luo Visual History

photograph scan of PRM number 1998.349.79.1

1998.349.79.1 (Film negative)

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Key Information

Photographer

Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard

Description

A portrait of two men, one wearing a cowrie-shell hat seemingly identified as Mboya (or Mbuga) of Uhanya Village in Alego Location. The two men are dressed in coastal long robes (kanzu), of different colours. These robes found their way into Luo Country after the establishment of colonial rule in Nyanza and after Indian shops opened in Kisumu. They were clothing of status and only second in cost to a Joho robe (see 1998.349.60), usually worn by clan elders and wealthy elder men. The man on the left is smoking tobacco using a clay pipe (kwesi). Smoking pipes with such long stems (ondhuru) was also dignified. The man to the right has many more personal body adornments. On his head is the cowry shell hat ogut gagi which extends into a cowry shell necklace (tik gagi mar ngut) with glass beads (tigo). He has a finger ring which may be for tapping a smoking pipe (oduong'o) and quite a number of wrist rings (minyonge) on both wrists. The long pole (odunga) is of interest, and was often used when attending a funeral. [Gilbert Oteyo 9/9/2004]

Cultural Group

Luo

Region

Nyanza Alego Uhanya

Named Person

Mboya or Mbuga

Pitt Rivers Source

Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard

Date of Photograph

1936

Accession number

1998.349.79.1

Further Information

Photographic Process

Negative film nitrate

Date Acquired

Donated 1988

For citation use:
Pitt Rivers Museum Luo Visual History "1998.349.79.1" 6 Jun. 2008. Pitt Rivers Museum. Accessed 19 Nov. 2015 <http://photos.prm.ox.ac.uk/luo/photo/1998.349.79.1/>.

© Pitt Rivers Museum