Chapter 27: African Art

Adobe

a building material made from earth, straw, or clay dried in the sun

Aka

an elephant mask of the Bamileke people of Cameroon

Byeri

in the art of the Fang people, a reliquary guardian figure

Bundu

masks used by the women’s Sande society to bring girls into puberty

Cire perdue

the lost wax process. A bronze casting method in which a figure is modeled in clay and covered with wax and then recovered with clay. When fired in a kiln, the wax melts away, leaving a channel between the two layers of clay which can be used as a mold for liquid metal

Fetish

an object believed to possess magical powers

Ikenga

a shrine figure symbolizing traditional male attributes of the Igbo people

Lukasa

a memory board used by the Luba people of central Africa

Mblo

a commemorative portrait of the Baule people

Ndop

a Kuba commemorative portrait of a king in an ideal state

Nkisi n’kondi

a Kongo power figure

Pwo

a female mask worn by women of the Chokwe people

Scarification

scarring of the skin in patterns by cutting with a knife

Torons

wooden beams projecting from walls of adobe buildings

Great Zimbabwe

• a prosperous trading center and royal complex; items from as far away as Persia and China have been found.

• Walls: 800 feet long, 32 feet tall; 17 feet thick at base.

• Internal and external passageways are tightly bounded, narrow, and long

Canonical Tower, Great Zimbabwe

• modeled on traditional shapes of grain silos; control over food symbolized wealth, power, and royal largesse.

• resembles a granary and represented a good harvest and prosperity; grain gathered, stored, and dispensed as a symbol of royal power.

Zimbabwe

derives from a Shona term meaning “venerated houses” or “houses of stone.”

Great Mosque of Djenné

• Crowning ornaments have ostrich eggs, symbols of fertility and purity.

• Roof has several holes with terra cotta lids to circulate air into the main room.

• Largest mud-brick mosque in the world.

Benin Wall Plaque

• One of 900 brass plaques produced, each between 16 and 18 inches.

• Shows aspects of court life in the Benin culture.

• It decorated the walls of the royal palace in Benin.

Golden Stool of Ashanti (Sika Dwa Kofi)

• According to a tradition, it was brought down from heaven by a priest and fell into the lap of the Ashanti king, Osei Tutu.

• It became the repository of the spirit of the nation; it is the symbol of the mystical bond among all Ashanti.

Ndop (portrait figure) of King Mishe miShyaang maMbul

• Rubbed with oil to protect it from insects.

• Acted as a surrogate for the king in his absence.

• One of the earliest existing African wood sculptures; oldest ndop in existence.

• King’s charm.

Power figure (Nkisi n’kondi)

• Medical properties are inserted into the body cavity, thought to be a person’s life or soul.

• The figure has a role as a witness and enforcer of community affairs.

• In order to prod the image into action, nails and blades are often inserted into the work or removed from it.

Portrait mask (Mblo) of Moya Yanso

• Presented at performances in which an individual is honored with ritual dances

• this one was made by the artist Owie Kimou.

• an idealized representation of a real person.

Female (Pwo) mask

• Male dancers are covered with their identities masked; they are dressed as women with braided hair.

• During the ritual, men move like women.

• Marks around the eyes may suggest tears

Mende Bundu mask

• Idealized female beauty, both physically and morally

• Small horizontal features.

• Used by the elder women of the Sande society; and for initiation rites

Ikenga (shrine figure)

• Carved from hardwoods, considered masculine.

• embraces traditional masculine associations of strength and potency.

• It is maintained in the man’s home and is destroyed when the owner dies

Ikenga

This word means “strong right arm” and thus physical prowess.

Lukasa (memory board)

• Carved from wood in an hourglass shape and adorned with beads, shells, or metal.

• Court historian who serves as reader of the board holds the lukasa in his left hand and gently touches the beads that he will discuss with his right index finger.

• These are controlled by the Mbudye

Mbudye

a council of men and women who interpret the political and historical aspects of Luba society.

Aka elephant mask

• Beadwork on a fabric backing; beadwork is a symbol of power.

• has features of an elephant and human face

• Performance art: maskers dance barefoot to a drum and gong; they wave spears and horsetails.

• Only important people in society can own and wear it.

Reliquary figure (byeri)

• Such figures were placed on top of cylinder-like containers made of bark that held skulls and other bones of important clan leaders.

• these figures were made to be portable.

• Emphasis on the head and the tubular nature of the body.

Veranda post of enthroned king and senior wife (Opo Ogoga)

• Olowe of Ise carved this for the rulers of the Ekiti-Yoruba kingdom in Nigeria.

• One of four carved for the palace at Ikere, Nigeria.

• Wooden sculpture with tall vertical emphasis.

• Negative space creates an openness in the composition.