Culture and Arts in Precolonial Nigeria Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on Dr. Tolulope A. Allo's lecture notes on Culture and Arts in Precolonial Nigeria.

Culture

That complex whole encompassing knowledge, beliefs, law, art, custom, moral, and any other capabilities and habit acquired by man as a member of a society (Edward Tylor).

African Art (Foso, 1986)

Inspired by ideas and thoughts familiar and common to the African ways of life. It acted as a means through which the physical aspects of nature and abstract feelings and emotions were expressed and communicated.

African Art (Dr. Adebayo Lambo)

Emotional and intellectual pegs upon which the African people hang spiritual truths, springs of knowledge created from traditional legends, folklores and mythologies.

Classification of African Art Forms (Early Western Scholars)

Art and craft. Sculptural art forms served religious/political functions and were dominated by the male gender. Domestic crafts served household functions and used materials like pottery, metal, wood, and plant materials.

Pottery

A tradition embraced by a diverse number of people in Nigeria, serving economic, social, and cultural functions. It was one of the earliest cooking and storage utensils used by early inhabitants.

Metal Work

Ancient art works produced in Nigeria using metal, including Igbo Ukwu bronze, Ife objects made of copper alloyed with zinc, and copper objects in Benin.

Textile (Nigeria)

Archaeological evidence suggests textiles have been produced and worn in Nigeria, dating back to the 9th-13th centuries.

Non-Woven Textile Forms

Cloth produced mainly by beating the inner barks of certain plants, such as aji and bast fabrics. Popular among the northern Igbo community.

Non-Spurn Fibres

Non-spun fibres woven to produce fabrics, including raffia (from raffia palm) popular in riverine areas of southern Nigeria, jute fibre, and coir (from coconut husks).

Spun Fibres

Fibres obtained from plant or animal sources, twisted into a tight long thread to form a flat and flexible material. Prominent plant source is cotton; animal sources include sheep and cows.

Leather Work

Found mainly in Northern Nigeria, involving tanning and drying methods to create leather pieces used for shoes, fans, slippers, and leather puffs. Raw materials obtained from local cattle.

Bead Work

Associated with royalty and body adornment in many parts of Africa. Beads were traded into Africa and also made in some parts of Nigeria, including ancient Ife.

Rock Art

The oldest and earliest forms of art in Africa, including paintings and engravings on rock surfaces. Found in Bauchi, Igbti, and among the Marghi of Northeastern Nigeria.

Nok Sculptures

The oldest of the sculpture traditions in Nigeria, made mainly in terracotta or baked clay in the form of human and animal representations. Dated between 500 B.C and A.C 200.

Igbo Ukwu Sculptures

Sculptural works in both terracotta and metal, dated to the 9th Century A.D. Metal sculptures made from copper, using the lost wax method (cire perdue).

Ife Art

Ancient art works (metal and terracotta) from Ife, the first urban centre of the Yoruba people, dated to the 11th century A.D. Naturalistic depictions of royal figures and common people.

Tsoede Bronzes

Nine cast metal sculptures found in Nupe villages, traced to the legendary leader Tsoede. Consists of six male figures in various attires and postures, dated between A.D. 1325 and A.D. 1365.

Benin Art

Richest of the ancient traditional art forms in Nigeria in terms of number, themes, and materials (metal, terracotta, ivory, wood). Naturalistic forms depicting life, animals, hunting expeditions, and everyday scenes.