Gwilym Iwan Jones (3 May 1904 – 25 January 1995) was a Welsh photographer and anthropologist. His photographs of life in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

in the 1930s, taken whilst serving as a colonial District Officer, led to an interest in

ethnology Ethnology (from the grc-gre, ἔθνος, meaning 'nation') is an academic field that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology). ...

and a second career as an academic at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

Life

Jones was born in

Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with t ...

and grew up in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

and England, studying at St. John's School, Leatherhead before winning a

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholars ...

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship S ...

. He then worked for the

Colonial Service The Colonial Service, also known as His/Her Majesty's Colonial Service and replaced in 1954 by Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service (HMOCS), was the British government service that administered most of Britain's overseas possessions, under the aut ...

in Nigeria (1926–1946), serving as District Officer for Bende and the surrounding area. He became interested in the culture of the peoples of southeastern Nigeria, using a

Rolleiflex Rolleiflex is the name of a long-running and diverse line of high-end cameras originally made by the German company Franke & Heidecke, and later Rollei-Werke. History The "Rolleiflex" name is most commonly used to refer to Rollei's premier ...

camera to build up an extensive record of life in the area at the time. Amongst other topics, his photographs show masks being used in performance, and shrines. He married Ursula Whittall in 1939 and his interest in

led him to return to England as Lecturer in Anthropology at the

, a post he held in conjunction with a

Fellowship A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's full name is The College of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint John the Evangelist and the glorious Virgin Saint Radegund, near Cambridge. Its common name comes fr ...

. He was a noted scholar on African issues, returning on various occasions to Nigeria for research. He retired in 1971, but continued to write and remained active within Jesus College.

Publications

*''The Ibo and Ibibio Speaking Peoples of S.E. Nigeria'' (with

Daryll Forde Cyril Daryll Forde Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, FRAI (16 March 1902 – 3 May 1973) was a British anthropologist and Africanists, Africanist. Education and early career Forde was born in Tottenham on 16 March 1 ...

) (1950) *''The Trading States of the Oil Rivers'' (1963) *''The Art of Southeastern Nigeria'' (1984) () *''Annual Reports of Bende Division, South Eastern Nigeria, 1905–1912'' (1986) *''Ibo Art'' (1989) *''From Slaves to Palm Oil'' (1989)

External links

The G. I. Jones photographic archive of Southeastern Nigerian art and culture

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Gwilliam Iwan 1904 births 1995 deaths People educated at St John's School, Leatherhead Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford Welsh photographers Welsh anthropologists Fellows of Jesus College, Cambridge People of colonial Nigeria British expatriates in Cape Colony British expatriates in Chile British expatriates in Nigeria 20th-century Welsh scientists