Cultural Archives
Igbo bu Igbo (Great Igbo)
An audio recording of a folksong titled 'Igbo bu Igbo' (Great Igbo), recorded by Northcote Thomas on December 16, 1910, in Awka. The performance features a female singer utilizing a high-pitched, resonant vocal technique with a repetitive, call-and-response structure. The …
Speech by Chief Onyeso of Agukwu Nri
An audio recording featuring a re-recording of a speech by Chief Onyeso of Agukwu Nri, translated into standard Central Igbo by Yvonne Mbanefo and read by Oba Kosi Nwoba. The original recording was made by Northcote Thomas during his 1910-11 …
Ugie Ewere Festival Song
An audio recording of a rhythmic vocal performance by a male ensemble, captured by Northcote Thomas during his anthropological surveys. The recording features a call-and-response structure with energetic, a cappella delivery and descending melodic lines. It was recorded during the …
The Story of the Blind Man, the Cripple, the Poor Man, the Thief and the King
An audio recording of a traditional Igbo folktale titled "Akuko onye isi, onye ngwuro, ogbenye na Eze". This 1913 recording by Northcote Thomas was captured on a wax cylinder phonograph in Asaba. The recording features a male orator delivering the …
Linguistic Documentation of Igbo Tones and Phrases
An audio recording of Igbo spoken phrases and English translations, originally captured on a wax cylinder in 1911. The audio features a male speaker providing rhythmic Igbo linguistic samples, with Northcote Thomas providing the English translations. The content includes phrases …
Igbo War Shouting Recording
An audio recording of Igbo war shouting captured on a wax cylinder. The recording includes a brief English introduction followed by rhythmic male vocalizations and a solo high-pitched vocal performance. The performance is unaccompanied and utilizes rapid, oscillating vocal techniques, …
Conversation in Igbo between John and Nwile
An audio recording of a conversation in Igbo between two young men, John (from Onitsha) and Nwile (from Nibo). The recording was made by Northcote Thomas in 1911 in Umuchukwu, also known as Ndikelionwu, in the Awka District of the …
Kwà-àjáyámmá (Vocal Group, Agulu, 1911)
An audio recording of a women's dance song recorded by Northcote Thomas in Agulu, present-day Anambra State, Nigeria, in February 1911. The performance features Kwà-àjáyámmá, which consists of an onomatopoeic sound and chorused response to the melodic calls of a …