Gwilym Iwan Jones (3 May 1904 – 25 January 1995) was a Welsh photographer and

anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...

. His photographs of life in

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

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

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

and a second career as an academic at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

Life

Jones was born in

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

and grew up in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

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

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

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 ...

. 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 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 title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned or professional societies, the term refers ...

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Jesus College was established in 1496 on the site of the twelfth-century Benedictine nunnery of St Radegund's Priory, Cambridge, St ...

. 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) (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 20th-century Welsh photographers Welsh anthropologists Fellows of Jesus College, Cambridge People from colonial Nigeria Welsh expatriates in South Africa British people in the Cape Colony British expatriates in Chile British expatriates in Nigeria 20th-century Welsh scientists