Masked rituals of Afikpo, the context of an African art

Ottenberg, Simon

Book

Masked rituals of Afikpo, the context of an African art

Published for the Henry Art Gallery by the University of Washington Press • (9) • Published In 1975 • Pages: 229 , [8] leaves of plates

By: Ottenberg, Simon.

Abstract
This source is a synthesis of the author's knowledge of the masking tradition among the Afikpo. It is an example of the genre of anthropology that describes art in terms of its cultural context. The description of the use of masks in their ritual contexts seems very detailed and is quite admirable, although many of the author's interpretations of psychological and aesthetic factors in the masking tradition appear to be unsupported and hence should be regarded as speculative. The source also includes an analysis of styles or types of the Afikpo secret society masks. This is a listing and description of twelve styles of masks. No hard data, i.e. measurements or statistical distributions, are presented. We are not even informed how many masks were examined (although the reader could calculate this information him/herself). It appears that no hard data were obtained since many of the examples cited were examined only by photograph. There is no discussion of what is meant by 'type,' 'style,' or 'substyle.' Hence, the analysis of styles appears to be quite eclectic and impressionistic. It is the least satisfying part of the book.

HRAF PubDate

2003

Region