Ukara
April 18, 2015, through August 02, 2015
Ritual Cloth of the Ekpe Secret Society
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Igbo people, Nigeria, Mazi Okereke Agbam of Arochukwu’s personalized ukara cloth, 1972, cotton and indigo dye. Collection of Eli Bentor.
Igbo people, Nigeria
Mazi Okereke Agbam of Arochukwu’s personalized ukara cloth
1972
Cotton and indigo dye.
Collection of Eli Bentor.
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Igbo people, Nigeria, giant ukara used as a backdrop at an Ekpe lodge, early 2000s, cotton and indigo dye. Collection of Eli Bentor.
Igbo people, Nigeria
Giant ukara used as a backdrop at an Ekpe lodge
Early 2000s
Cotton and indigo dye.
Collection of Eli Bentor.
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Igbo people, Nigeria, small ukara with very fine design and Omu Aro symbol, mid-1980s, cotton and indigo dye. Collection of Eli Bentor.
Igbo people, Nigeria
Small ukara with very fine design and Omu Aro symbol
Mid-1980s
Cotton and indigo dye.
Collection of Eli Bentor.
Location
Temporary Exhibitions, Hall Gallery
About
Ukara cloth symbolizes the power, wealth, and prestige of the Ekpe secret society, an interethnic all-male association, and the sacrality of Ekpe meeting lodges. Although commissioned and used by the Ekpe, located in the Cross River region at the border of southeastern Nigeria and western Cameroon, ukara is designed, sewn, and dyed by the Ezillo people in present-day Ebonyi State. The process of creating ukara cloths is laborious and involves many hands, but ultimately each cloth is highly individualized, clearly produced to be worn by a specific Ekpe person or to mark a particular Ekpe lodge. Nsibidi symbols, an ideographic and gestural system of communication, are dyed onto the cloth. The symbols’ meanings are largely guarded by Ekpe members, with more established members becoming deeply knowledgeable about the poly-semantic signs.
This exhibition was organized by the Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, and generously supported by the William B. Jaffe and Evelyn A. Hall Fund. Objects and images in the exhibition are courtesy of Dr. Eli Bentor.
Exhibition Curator
Curated by Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi