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Parent Record
Publication: 1915. Johnston, Harry Hamilton. "The Cameroons: One of the African Regions now Involved in the War." The Windsor Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly for Men and Women, Vol. XLI, No. 244.
Original language: English
Caption:
Text: No text
Illustrator: Topical Press Agency, individual photographer not mentioned
Original language: English
Caption:
"Ju-Ju" men, looked upon with great respect for their witchcraft
Text: No text
Illustrator: Topical Press Agency, individual photographer not mentioned
Illustration technique: b/w field photograph
Publication page: 619
Publication plate/figure: figure; bottom
Publication page: 619
Publication plate/figure: figure; bottom
Related images: Masquerader in left center appears also in #658.
Keywords:
• Cameroon (Country, region, place)
• Fumban (Country, region, place)
• Grassfields (Country, region, place)
• cloth (Materials and techniques)
• raffia (Materials and techniques)
• wood (Materials and techniques)
• masqueraders (Notable features)
• stilts (Notable features)
• masks (Object name, type)
• Bamum (Style, culture group)
• Cameroon (Country, region, place)
• Fumban (Country, region, place)
• Grassfields (Country, region, place)
• cloth (Materials and techniques)
• raffia (Materials and techniques)
• wood (Materials and techniques)
• masqueraders (Notable features)
• stilts (Notable features)
• masks (Object name, type)
• Bamum (Style, culture group)
Comments:
Jim Ross, (6/22/2005): An almost identical photograph with same participants (though the small figure on the far right is in costume) appears fig 75 on p117 of Christraud M. Geary's 1988 book "Images From Bamum" with the following caption: "Masqueraders wearing costumes for tu ngunga pomapet, 'the masquerade of the people of Pet.' The Pet, who now live east of Fumban, had been subdued by the Bamum. The Pet king paid homage to the Bamum king by presenting his masquerade in Fumban. (Photograph by Rudolf Oldenburg, c. 1912)" Geary further describes the scene on pp116-17. The same photo appears on p158, ill. 198 in Pierre Harter's 1986 book "Arts Anciens Du Cameroun" with the caption "Danse nsoro à Foumban (cl. Oldenburg 1907)."
Jim Ross, (7/20/2012):
Jim Ross, (3/29/2014):
The two maskers on the left appear alone in a related photograph in the Budapest publication Afrika by Cholnkony Jenö (ND*) 297 with the following caption: "Kamerun, Bamun, Szudáni Néger Táncjelmez. (Fénykép után.)." Name translated from Hungarian to English as Eugene Cholnkony (1870-1950), a writer & geographer. (*WORLDCAT says the edition published by Lampel was published in 1930).
Same photo as in previous paragraph appears in Die Kulturen Afrikas by Walter Hirschberg (1974) 271, Abb. 138 with the following caption: "Maskentanzer vor den alten Königspalast in Foumban (Kamerun). Zu Ehren der Toten wurden bei den Totenfeiern oft Maskentänze aufgeführt."
12/26/2017 insert: the photograph of the two maskers is viewable at https://www.pinterest.com/pin/145522631683506322/.
Jim Ross, (1/30/2015):
An almost identical image appears in the Berlin periodical Der Erdball - Illustrierte Monatsschrift für das gesamte Gebiet der Länder-, Menschen- und Völkerkunde, Jahrgang 4 (1930) Heft 11, Nummer 11 in an article entitled "Musik und Tanz der Neger" by Rudolf Oldenburg with the following caption: "Abb. 2. Tanzmasken der Bamum. Phot. Oldenburg." On the cover page of this issue is an enlargement of the 3 out of the 4 central figures (ie excludes the one on the right).
Jim Ross, (1/1/2019): See photograph of the two maskers on the left at http://www.smb-digital.de/eMuseumPlus?service=ExternalInterface&lang=en.
Jim Ross, (6/22/2005): An almost identical photograph with same participants (though the small figure on the far right is in costume) appears fig 75 on p117 of Christraud M. Geary's 1988 book "Images From Bamum" with the following caption: "Masqueraders wearing costumes for tu ngunga pomapet, 'the masquerade of the people of Pet.' The Pet, who now live east of Fumban, had been subdued by the Bamum. The Pet king paid homage to the Bamum king by presenting his masquerade in Fumban. (Photograph by Rudolf Oldenburg, c. 1912)" Geary further describes the scene on pp116-17. The same photo appears on p158, ill. 198 in Pierre Harter's 1986 book "Arts Anciens Du Cameroun" with the caption "Danse nsoro à Foumban (cl. Oldenburg 1907)."
Jim Ross, (7/20/2012):
Another similar & clearer photograph of the same 4 maskers and other costumed person appears in the photo collection of the Museum fur Volkerkunde, Wien, inv. no. VF 17358 with the heading "Maskentanzer in Bamum, Rudolf Oldenburg / um 1904." It may be found on the museum website at http://www.ethno-museum.ac.at/en/collections/photo-collection/objects. The same photo appears in Chistraud M. Geary's 1988 book referenced in the previous comment.
Jim Ross, (3/29/2014):
The two maskers on the left appear alone in a related photograph in the Budapest publication Afrika by Cholnkony Jenö (ND*) 297 with the following caption: "Kamerun, Bamun, Szudáni Néger Táncjelmez. (Fénykép után.)." Name translated from Hungarian to English as Eugene Cholnkony (1870-1950), a writer & geographer. (*WORLDCAT says the edition published by Lampel was published in 1930).
Same photo as in previous paragraph appears in Die Kulturen Afrikas by Walter Hirschberg (1974) 271, Abb. 138 with the following caption: "Maskentanzer vor den alten Königspalast in Foumban (Kamerun). Zu Ehren der Toten wurden bei den Totenfeiern oft Maskentänze aufgeführt."
12/26/2017 insert: the photograph of the two maskers is viewable at https://www.pinterest.com/pin/145522631683506322/.
Jim Ross, (1/30/2015):
An almost identical image appears in the Berlin periodical Der Erdball - Illustrierte Monatsschrift für das gesamte Gebiet der Länder-, Menschen- und Völkerkunde, Jahrgang 4 (1930) Heft 11, Nummer 11 in an article entitled "Musik und Tanz der Neger" by Rudolf Oldenburg with the following caption: "Abb. 2. Tanzmasken der Bamum. Phot. Oldenburg." On the cover page of this issue is an enlargement of the 3 out of the 4 central figures (ie excludes the one on the right).
Jim Ross, (1/1/2019): See photograph of the two maskers on the left at http://www.smb-digital.de/eMuseumPlus?service=ExternalInterface&lang=en.
