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G.I. Jones at Nsude Village Shrine Pyramid

Image Architecture
G.I. Jones sitting in front of a stepped earthen pyramid shrine at Nsude
G.I. Jones seated before a stepped pyramid at the Nsude Village Shrine, Abaja, Northern Igbo, circa 1930s.

A black-and-white photograph from the 1930s showing anthropologist G.I. Jones seated in front of a stepped earthen pyramid at the Nsude Village Shrine in Abaja, Northern Igbo region. The pyramid structure consists of rounded graduated steps decreasing in size and culminating in a pointed apex. The structure, made of mud, stands in an open area surrounded by grasses and vegetation. Jones is wearing shorts, a white shirt, and a pith helmet. The Nsude pyramids were temples dedicated to the deities Ala and Uto, with each structure representing a residence for the deity. These monuments demonstrate the architectural achievements of the Igbo people and their religious practices. The photograph documents the cultural significance of these shrines, which were associated with the Uto deity and served as important spiritual centers in the region.

Community Notes

Onyeka Nwokike

Apr 19, 2026

As of 1935, there were ten such circular stepped pyramids located in the area known as Ugwu Uto, according to Nsude Pyramids: The Pride of Ancient Igbos and Odinani - Wikipedia.

Onyeka Nwokike

Apr 19, 2026

These structures functioned as ritual centers rather than funerary tombs, distinguishing them from the pyramids of Egypt or Kush. As noted in Nsude Pyramids: Hidden Giants of Igboland, they were dedicated to the Earth Mother, Ala, or the deified war hero Uto.

Onyeka Nwokike

Apr 19, 2026

The pyramids were documented by E.R. Chadwick in 1935 for the publication Nigerian Field, a reference noted by the MAA Cambridge archive. In 1938, English archaeologist Kenneth Murray conducted a subsequent expedition to document these and other archaeological sites in the region, as detailed in Nsude Pyramid: Spirituality in Igbo Architecture.

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