Scope and Contents

62 x 40 mm. From time to time Big men have dances in their compounds, the reason is hard to find and there usually are different reasons connected with family matters.

Scope and Contents

62 x 40 mm. The dancers are usually from some other Big Man's compound and bring with them their Jujus - in this case men draped with grass and wearing a cow mask - Nyam si Juim. They are held by ropes and are threatened by the dancers with cutlasses.

Scope and Contents

109 x 63 mm. The Grandstand and Royal Enclosure at the dances in front of the Chief's Quarters. The Royal ladies took up their stance beside my lavatory which is seen on the right.

Scope and Contents 104 x 63 mm. The first thing that happened was the distant singing which drew nearer and then some of the wives of the chief came dancing into the compound from their quarters. They danced a sort of lunging step and were all linked hand to hand, they circled the entire compound in an anti-clockwise direction all the time chanting their dirge. Note that all native dances are in a clockwise direction except at funeral celebrations which seems to have some connection with the reversal of...

Scope and Contents

53 x 40 mm. After the encircling of the entire compound the women formed into a long line, all the time chanting and clapping their hands to the time of the dirge. They then started a sort of 'follow my leader' all the time keeping up this peculiar skipping lunging step. They passed through many intricate patterns but always in an anti-clockwise direction.

Scope and Contents

63 x 40 mm. After some time they broke up and stood about in groups chanting and beating time with their hands then formed up into two long lines and faced each other. The two foremost women then linked hands and there was a sort of 'tug-of-war'. This happened three times and most of the participants were the younger members of the chief's harem.

Scope and Contents

62 x 40 mm. As many of the people had to come from a considerable distance, some had been trekking in for four days, it was about ten a.m. before the Fies began to arrive. Here is one of the Fies marching on to the ground followed by his orchestra and gunners. The orchestra consists of drummers, flute players, trumpets of elephant tusks and rattles of metal and wood.

Scope and Contents 62 x 40 mm. Soon after their arrival, despite the distance many of them had come the old Fies started to dance and were followed by their drummers and gunmen. At first each orchestra kept up the good work but as the fies came in and the orchestras increased in number they broke away and joined with the dancers leaving the Chief's orchestra in command. Here are seen some of the groups of Fies dancing the queer little shuffling steps again in an anti-clockwise direction whilst the gunmen let...

Scope and Contents

99 x 64 mm. The Chief's orchestra stood around the two posts already mentioned and the women formed a ring and danced round the Fies and their followers who were nearer the orchestra. As before the anti-clockwise direction was adhered to all the time. As more and more people arrived from the outlying towns and isolated farms they formed outer rings until the whole compound was one mass of bobbing humanity with orchestras, singing and gunfire.

Scope and Contents

100 x 64 mm. At different times the Orchestra would leave the juju sticks and come shuffling and lunging up to the rest house, followed by masses of the dancers who with the beat of the drums and the gallons of Mombo were getting completely abandoned, They were led usually by the Chief's sister who acts as the Queen Mother and is seen in the centre foreground dressed in coloured silks with a garland of green leaves.

Scope and Contents

62 x 50 mm. The orchestra would after a short time back away to the Juju sticks again as they are doing here their variegated costumes of brilliant greens, blues and reds with their weird and many shaped hats making a very pretty picture. The Chief's sister and Queen Mother is seen on the left of the flute players.

Scope and Contents

62 x 40 mm. The Fies again formed up and danced round in the centre circle next to the orchestra whilst the women formed into the outer circle all dancing and shuffling round.

Scope and Contents

62 x 40 mm. Towards the late afternoon the large numbers dancing necessitated the ring being formed round the compound and with the drums, the flutes and the Mimbo the chief could hold his dignity no longer so left his throne and dressed in his German uniform and white suit joined the merry throng. As he shuffled round with his Fies on either side of him the chief women moved out and formed up to 'salute' him.

Scope and Contents 62 x 40 mm. The Fies on either side of the chief were so elated that they kept up an incessant gunfire with their native blunder-busses. Here they are seen shooting and reloading and in the midst of the smoke the chief can just be seen. They are all flintlock guns and much laughter greeted the fies as often they would prance forward towards the centre of the ground with great show, kneel down and press the trigger only to be rewarded with a faint 'click' as the gun misfired with damp...

Scope and Contents

62 x 40 mm. The women advancing to salute the chief, they shuffled forwards and at times broke into a short run as they followed him round the field. All the time they let out a high pitched 'cooing' cry and tap the mouth with the closed fingers.

Scope and Contents

62 x 40 mm. The women saluting the Chief and honouring him by bowing and bending the knees whilst the foremost dusts the leaves and twigs and even imaginary dirt from his vicinity with her bare hands. The remainder keeping up the incessant 'cooing' call and clapping their hands to the beat of the drums.

Scope and Contents

62 x 40 mm. The women running forward and then receding after bowing to the chief whilst the eldest and most honoured wife keeps on brushing the ground in front of him.

Scope and Contents

62 x 40 mm. After dancing round the edge of the compound the chief got very excited and mounting the plinth he proceeded to execute a sort of a jig on his own whilst cheered on in his efforts by the equally excited populace. The glittering eagle mounted helmet and silver cuirasse looked rather out of place but certainly created a sensation among the people.

Scope and Contents

100 x 64 mm. The Chief tiring of his dancing called for his rifle and gave a fiery speech intermitted with shots into the air to stress some important point.

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75 x 104 mm. It was obvious that music, women and wine made the Chief forget the dignity of his office but after his little dance and exhibition with his rifle he sobered up and gave a very good little speech to the people telling them all visitors were their guests and there must be no thieving or fighting and they must after this party return to their farms and tend their crops, not only for market but for feeding their families.

Scope and Contents

43 x 40 mm. Gunners and Fies saluting the Chief after he returned to his throne by running forward with a prancing step then kneeling down and firing their native blunderbusses that make a terrific explosion and emit clouds of acrid smelling smoke.

Scope and Contents

62 x 40 mm. With all the excitement and the desire to outdo each other many of the gunners and the Fies when firing did so with the guns pointing down and so endangered the people. Whenever this was noticed, the Chindas of the Chief rushed out and arrested the wrongdoer who was promptly marched off to spend his time in silent meditation on his evil deed.

Scope and Contents

34 x 40 mm. At one time in the proceedings the firing low of the gunners got so bad that the Chief lost his temper and joined his Chindas in the rush to arrest the evildoers. Everyone took part in the chase of these men and it was obviously looked upon as great fun by the younger members though the older people realised the danger if this indiscriminate shooting was allowed to go unchecked.

Scope and Contents

62 x 40 mm. One of the arrested gunners being led away by some of the Chief's chindas whilst two other chindas are seen striding across the compound to catch another man who has been seen firing low.

Scope and Contents

62 x 40 mm. Women carrying baskets of food, women with children in their arms and women with both prance around oblivious to the heat and dust whilst two slightly intoxicated ladies dance some special erotic dance.