Includes bibliographical references (p. 295-306) and index.
Contents:
The puppet and the girl -- Time : a culture of initiation and aesthetics of seclusion -- Ekuk Mbopo -- Nwo-nwo : the seclusion of little girls -- Ekuk Mbopo at the Ebiene Atai village -- The school for womanhood -- Transformation : Mbopo as the portrayer/progenitor of sanguinity and extravagance -- Body inscriptions and the wellness performance -- Adorning comfort -- Transition : from the enclosure to the marketplace : indelible marks of femininity -- Impressions of seclusion -- The clitoridectomy rite -- The staging of a female icon -- The scepter and the flywhisk : Mbopo theatre, corporeal dialogues, and the revelation of the bride -- Mechanisms in Uyai : rewriting her body with accouterments of beauty and power -- Power symbols -- The crest and the crown -- The Uyai anointing -- Mbopo nation : returnee mbopo and the emergence of objective interpretation -- The story of Akon Ekwere -- Contemporary iterations and bride residue.
Summary:
This groundbreaking book analyzes the extent to which feminine ideals of beauty, power, and spirituality in southern Nigeria translate into unique demonstrations of corporeality, extravagance, transfiguration, and wellness. Considering a culture of ceremonial seclusion, fatness, decoration, and identity construction as it is revealed through mbopo, a mysterious ritual practiced in Ibibioland, Nigeria, this work seeks to isolate a visual aesthetic that is specific to Ibibio and Cross River cultures. Through the analysis of regional aesthetic forms, Daughters of Seclusion addresses the connections between mbopo ritual and larger conceptions of aesthetics, artistry, and literacy in Ibibio provinces. Its cross-disciplinary analysis fuses West African women's studies and art history to discuss nuances in modes of female representation and conceptualization in Ibibio art and life.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.