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.