Ancient African Art from Aksum to Zimbabwe

Sub-Saharan AFRICAN ART
I. Introduction to Africa
II. Aksum
III. Ife
IV. Benin
V. Sierra Leone
VI. The Wodaabe of Niger
VII. The Art of Living (video)

I. INTRO TO SUB-SAHARA AFRICA
 An Introduction to Africa's Arts & Cultures
 Origins of Rock Art in Africa
 Rock Art in North Africa

Humans first evolved in Africa, walking upright about five million years
ago, and making the first tools about two and a half million years ago
using the opposable thumb.

OUR EARLIEST TECHNOLOGY
Made nearly two million years ago, stone
tools such as this are the first known
technological invention.
Using another hard stone as a hammer, the
maker has knocked flakes off both sides of a
basalt (volcanic lava) pebble so that they
intersect to form a sharp edge. This could be
used to chop branches from trees, cut meat
from large animals or smash bones for marrow
fat—an essential part of the early human diet.
The flakes could also have been used as small
knives for light duty tasks.
Handaxe, lower paleolithic, about
1.8 million years old, hard green
volcanic lava (phonolite), 23.8 x 10
cm, found at Olduvai Gorge,
Tanzania, Africa

Long before contact with Europe, several
African states, including ancient Egypt,
Aksum, ancient Ghana, Mali, Songhoy, Ile
Ife, and the Benin kingdom, became well
known in different parts of the continent.
Other states, such as the Asante
Confederation, the Bakuba and Buganda
developed later.
 Brass figure of a Portuguese soldier, 18th century,
43 x 20 cm, Benin, Nigeria

The centralized
government systems of
these kingdoms were
based on the exclusive
authority of the ruler, or
king, whose power was
often justified through
religious ideology.
They were the only ones
who had the power to
break social rules and to
take human life and
could delegate it to
selected dignitaries.

The centralized government systems of these kingdoms were based on the
exclusive authority of the ruler, or king, whose power was often justified
through religious ideology.
They were the only ones who had the power to break social rules and to
take human life and could delegate it to selected dignitaries.
 According to legend, the Fon (King)
is the brother of courageous and
powerful animals. At night, he has the
power to transform himself into a
panther, where he haunts the forest,
runs through the savana and drinks
from torrents. When a panther is killed
by a hunter, the Fon from Bamileke
region are afraid thinking they may
perish from the death of their ‘twin’.

If many of the kingship systems have now
vanished, some have succeeded to
survive in modern states, still playing
important social, cultural and political
functions in regions such as Asante,
Benin and Bakuba.
Many other African peoples live outside of
centralized kingdoms. These include the
Nilotic peoples of the Sudan, Kenya and
Ethiopia, the Koi/San of Southern Africa
and the Tuareg of the Sahara.
A graduate from the University of
London and an economic advisor for the
Ghanaian administration, The King of
Akropong holds for the last sixteen
years the “sacred seat” of the Akuapem-
Asona, one of the seven major Akan
clans. To his right, his “spokesman”
carries the royal emblem, the elephant, a
remembrance that his kingdom was
founded by force.
Nyimi Kok Mabiintsh III – King of Kuba (D.R.
Congo)

Oni of Ife (Nigeria)
In 1980, Sijuwade
became the fiftieth
Oni (King) of Ife, one
of the most ancient
African Dynasties.
Formerly, during his
coronation, an Oni
had to embrace the
sword of justice, and
enter into his palace
on a cloth stiffened
by the dry blood of
sacrificed men and
women.
Today the Oni is a
rich businessman,
with several vast
properties in Nigeria
and England.

Halidou Sali – Lamido of Bibemi (Cameroon)
Halidou Sali, the
twelfth Lamido
(king) of Bibemi,
received his
kingdom in
1958.
He is a
descendant of
Aido Samba,
one of the 42
Kings of
Adamawa, who
during the
eighteenth
century carried
the flag for the
Jihad (holy war)
of Ousman Dan
Fodio.

Oseadeeyo Addo Dankwa III – King of Akropong-Akuapem
(Ghana)
A graduate from the
University of London
and an economic
advisor for the
Ghanaian
administration, The
King of Akropong
holds for the last
sixteen years the
“sacred seat” of the
Akuapem-Asona, one
of the seven major
Akan clans. To his
right, his “spokesman”
carries the royal
emblem, the elephant,
a remembrance that his
kingdom was founded
by force.

Abubakar Sidiq – Sultan of Sokoto (Nigeria)
This photo was taken
fifteen days before the
death of the Sultan of
Sokoto. He had reigned
for more than fifty years.
At the time of his
successor’s coronation,
who was chosen by a
council of “king
makers”, a conflict
erupted.
Two royal families
disputed the choice; the
consequence: one
hundred deaths.

Hapi IV – King of Bana (Cameroon)
The kingdom of Bana
finds its origins in a
tragedy. In the middle
of the twelfth century,
several Bamileke
groups, settled in small
villages around what is
actually Bana.
Legend says that one
of the village chiefs,
Mfenge was accused of
sorcery by the others.
In order to exonerate
himself, he cut off his
mother’s head and had
the cadaver examined
by specialists.

Goodwill Zwelethini – King of Zulu (South Africa)
King Goodwill
Zwelethini is a
descendant of the
famous Shaka
Zulu, founder of
the Zulu kingdom.

Shaka, founder of the Zulu
kingdom. At the beginning of the
ninetheenth century, Shaka was the
chief of a small insignificant clan
among the Bantu people.
Thinking that the survival of the
Zulus depended inevitably on the
subservience of the other clans,
Shaka submitted the natal region to
blood and fire.
Between 1815 and 1828, he annihilated
all tribes that were opposed to him. This
troubled period referred to as Mfecan
(terror), was accompanied by famine
and exodus of a large part of the Bantu
population. Shaka’s cruelty became
legendary.
1824 European artist's impression of Shaka with
a long throwing assegai and heavy shield. No
drawings from life are known

Origins Of ROCK ART in Africa
The oldest
scientifically-dated
rock art in Africa dates
from around 26,000-
28,000 years ago and
is found in Namibia.
Between 1969 and
1972, German
archaeologist, W.E.
Wendt, researching in
an area known locally
as "Goachanas,"
unearthed several
painted slabs in a cave
he named Apollo
11, after NASA’s
successful moon
landing mission.
Quartzite slabs depicting animals, Apollo 11 Cave,
Namibia, c. 25,500–25,300 B.C.E.

The first examples of what we might term "art" in Africa, dating
from between 100,000–60,000 years ago, emerge in two very
distinct forms: personal adornment in the form of perforated
seashells suspended on twine, and incised and engraved stone,
ochre and ostrich eggshell.
One of the most iconic and well-publicized sites that have yielded cross-hatch incised patterning
on ochre is Blombos Cave, on the southern Cape shore of South Africa. Of the more than 8,500
fragments of ochre deriving from the MSA (Middle Stone AGe) levels, 15 fragments show evidence
of engraving. Two of these, dated to 77,000 years ago, have received the most attention for the
design of cross-hatch pattern.

Fragments of engraved ostrich eggshells from
the Howiesons Poort of Diepkloof Rock
Shelter, Western Cape, South Africa, dated to
60,000 BCE.
Personal ornamentation and
engraved designs are the earliest
evidence of art in Africa, and are
inextricably tied up with the
development of human
cognition.
For tens of thousands of years,
there has been not only a
capacity for, but a motivation to
adorn and to inscribe, to make
visual that which is important.

Forests of Stone
Algeria is Africa’s
largest country and
most of it falls within
the Sahara Desert. It
also hosts a rich rock
art concentration. Most
of the sites are found in
the south east of the
country near its borders
with Libya and Niger
but there are also
important
concentrations in the
Algerian Maghreb and
in the Hoggar
Mountains in the central
south.
Tuareg looking over the Tassili n’Ajjer

The most renowned of all these
areas is the Tassili n’Ajjer (meaning
"plateau of chasms") in the south
east. Water and sand erosion have
carved out a landscape of thin
passageways, large arches, and
high-pillared rocks, described as
“forests of stone” by French
archaeologist and ethnographer
Henri Lhote. The resulting
undercuts at cliff bases have
created rock shelters with smooth
walls ideal for painting and
engraving (left).
View of section of rock shelter wall containing
painting of ‘La Dame Noire de Sefar’(“the Black
Lady of Sefar”). Row of small stones placed in
front of paintings to mark closest approach for
tourists.

Classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982 and Biosphere Reserve
in 1986, Tassili n'Ajjer covers a vast area of desert landscape in
southern Algeria, stretching from the Niger and Libyan border area, north and
east of Djanet, as far as Illizi and Amguid, covering an area of 72,000 sq. km.

ROCK ART SUBJECT MATTER
More than 15,000 rock paintings and engravings, dating back as far as
12,000 years are located in this region and have made Tassili world
famous for this reason. The art depicts herds of cattle and large wild
animals such as giraffe and elephant, as well as human activities such
as hunting and dancing.
Painted rock art depicting five red figures, from Jabbaren, Ajjer Plateau, Djanet, Tassili, Algeria

The area is especially famous for its Round Head paintings which
were first described and published by Henri Lhote in the 1950s. Thought to
date from around 9,000 years old, some of these paintings are the largest
found on the African continent, measuring up to 13 feet in height.

A 7,000-year-old painting from Tassili n’Ajjer in
southeastern Algeria in the central Sahara (at
that time a verdant savanna) is one of the
earliest and finest surviving examples of rock
art. The painter depicted a running woman with
convincing animation and significant detail. The
dotted marks on her shoulders, legs, and torso
probably indicate that she is wearing body paint
applied for a ritual. Her face, however, is
featureless, a common trait in the earliest art.
The white parallel patterns attached to her arms
and waist appear to represent flowing raffia
decorations and a raffia skirt. Horns—shown in
the twisted perspective, or composite view,
typical of prehistoric art—are also part of her
ceremonial attire. Notably, the artist painted this
detailed image over a field of much smaller
painted human beings, an indication of why it is
often so difficult to date and interpret art on rock
surfaces, as subsequent superimpositions are
frequent. Nonetheless, scholars have been able
to establish a rough chronology for African rock
art, an art form that continues to this day.
Running Horned Woman
Tassili n’Ajjer, Algeria, ca. 6000–4000 bce

AFRICAN QUIZ
1.The OLDEST SURVIVING art in Africa
was done on
A) Canvas
B) Papyrus
C) Rocks
Running Horned Woman
Tassili n’Ajjer, Algeria, ca. 6000–4000 bce

II. THE KINGDOM OF AKSUM
Aksum was a major naval and trading
power from the 1st to the 7th centuries
C.E. As a civilization it had a profound
impact upon the people of Egypt,
southern Arabia, Europe and Asia, all
of whom were visitors to its shores,
and in some cases were residents.
At its height in the 4th and 5th
centuries C.E. Aksum extended
throughout the regions lying south of
the Roman Empire, from the fringes of
the Sahara in the west, across the Red
Sea to the inner Arabian desert in the
east.
The Aksumites developed
Africa’s only indigenous
written script, Ge’ez. They
traded with Egypt, the eastern
Mediterranean and Arabia.

Very little is known about Aksum…
Written scripts existed, but no histories or descriptions have
been found.
A portion of the Ezana Stone, erected by King Ezana (ruled 330-356 AD) to commemorate his
conversion to Christianity. It is written in Ge'ez.

Solomon and Sheba
The Queen of Sheba and King Solomon
are important figures in Ethiopian
heritage.
Traditional accounts describe their
meeting when Sheba, Queen of Aksum,
went to Jerusalem, and their son
Menelik I formed the Solomonic dynasty
from which the rulers of Ethiopia (up to
the 1970s) are said to be descended.

Aksumite Coins
Coins have a unique significance in the history of Aksum. They are particularly
important because they provide evidence of Aksum and its rulers. The
inscriptions on the coins highlight the fact that Aksumites were a literate
people with knowledge of both Ethiopic and Greek languages.
 Gold coin, c. 270-300 C.E., gold,
Aksumite, modern Ethiopia.
Obverse showing head and shoulders
bust of King Endubis facing right,
wearing headcloth with rays at
forehead and triangular ribbon behind,
framed by two wheat-stalks. Disc and
crescent at top.

For the most part, gold coins were inscribed in Greek and often intended for
exports, while silver and copper coins were insribed in Ge’ez (Aksumite
script).
With the replacement of gold coins with copper ones, the craftsmen of
Aksum started using specialized techniques of gilding, which was unique to
the kingdom and involved gold leaf being added to crowns and other
symbols to enhance the appearance, and most probably the value, of coins.
Coin of King Joel, 6th century C.E., Aksum, modern Ethiopia

The large cross on the reverse of the coin symbolizes the country's shift to
Christianity. This took place during the fourth century when a traveller named
Frumentius converted Aksum's ruler, King Ezana. The old religious symbols of
the sun and the moon no longer appeared on coins and were replaced with a
cross, which was enlarged over the years.
The religious symbolism on these coins had strong political implications, as it
aligned Aksum's religious identity with its main trading partners, Rome and
later Byzantium.

2. The Aksumites developed Africa’s
only indigenous written script.
T or F ???

III. IFE
Ife is the spiritual heartland of the
YORUBA people living in
Nigeria, the Republic of Benin and their
many descendants around the world.
It is the birthplace of some of the
highest achievements of African art and
culture, combining technical
accomplishment with strong aesthetic
appeal.
From the 12th to the 15th centuries, Ife
flourished as a powerful, cosmopolitan
and wealthy city-state in West Africa, in
what is now modern Nigeria. It was an
influential centre of trade connected to
extensive local and long-distance trade
networks which enabled the region to
prosper.

Ori-olokun sculpture which sits at the
entrance of the ancestral city of Ile Ife.
The ancient city is home to beautifully
preserved artworks in bronze and
terracotta which holds the potential for
authentic ethnological studies of
Yoruba culture, these are on show in its
museum of Ife antiquities located in the
Kings palace at Enuwa Square Ile Ife.

Sculpture
The artists of Ife developed a refined and highly
naturalistic sculptural tradition in stone,
terracotta, brass and copper and created a style
unlike anything in Africa at the time.
The technical sophistication of the casting
process is matched by the artworks’ enduring
beauty.
The human figures portray a wide cross-section
of Ife society and include depictions of youth
and old age, health and disease, suffering and
serenity.
 Ife Head, c. 14th-15th century, brass, 35 cm high, Ife, Africa

According to Yoruba myth, Ife was the center of the
creation of the world and all mankind. Ife was home to
many sacred groves located in the city’s forests.

Other Ife sites have revealed spectacular pieces with royal associations, including the only
known complete king figure and an exquisite terra-cotta head, possibly portraying a queen both
from Ita Yemoo.

IFE TODAY
Today Ife remains a major spiritual and religious centre for the Yoruba
people. Some of its shrines and groves are still in use and rituals to key
gods are performed regularly. Works of art from Ife have become iconic
symbols of regional and national unity, and of pan-African identity.
 The "Ori Olokun" head was chosen as
the logo for the All-Africa Games held in
Lagos in 1973 and has been adopted as the
logo of numerous commercial, educational
and financial institutions. Such images have
become universal symbols of African
heritage.

3. _________ is the spiritual
heartland of the YORUBA
people living in Nigeria, Benin,
and their many descendants
around the world.

YORUBA Aesthetics:
“Goodness & Beauty” in Art & Life

“YORUBA” (definitions)
• A Distinct ETHNIC GROUP
• A LANGUAGE
• A RELIGION

Yoruba Religion
Polytheistic
Deities called “Orisha”
Altars
Priests & Priestesses
Divination Practices

Yoruba “Babalawo” (Priests/Priestesses)

Yoruba Religion: Sacred Symbol:
“INTERLACING Symbol”
Balance 2 parts of existence:
1) Physical (body)
2) Spiritual (soul)

“ORISHAS”
• Olorun
• Onile
• Shango

Yoruba Beadwork & COLOR THEORY

Throne Symbolism:
Nature Imagery
Orisha Faces
Interlacing Symbol

1) “Fun-Fun” = cool, aloof,
analytical

2) “Pupa” = warm, passionate,
tempermental

3) “Dudu” = down-to-earth,
practical, nurturing

“Beads both CONCEAL & REVEAL.”
Priest’s Bottle Flask

Metaphysical Basis of Yoruba Art
• “ASE”: Spiritual &
Creative ENERGY
• “ORO”: Source of “Ase”
• Olorun’s Creation of 3
seminal elements:
1) Wisdom
2) Knowledge
3) Understanding
2 TYPES OF BEINGS:
Heavenly & Earthly

Carrie Mae Weems, Slave Coast Series, 2003
(installation views)

IV. THE KINGDOM OF BENIN
Until the late 19th century, one of the
major powers in West Africa was the
kingdom of Benin in what is now
southwest Nigeria.
When European merchant ships began
to visit West Africa from the 15th
century onwards, Benin came to control
the trade between the inland peoples
and the Europeans on the coast.
The kingdom of Benin was also well
known to European traders and
merchants during the 16th and 17th
centuries, when it became wealthy
partly due to trading in slaves.

When the British tried to expand their
own trade in the 19th century, the Benin
people killed their envoys.
So in 1897 the British sent an armed
expedition which captured the king of
Benin, destroyed his palace and took
away large quantities of sculpture and
regalia, including works in wood, ivory
and especially brass.
Some of these things came from royal
altars for the king’s ancestors, but
among them were a large number of
cast brass plaques made to decorate
the wooden pillars of the palace.
These men took part in the expedition made
by the British in 1897. In the background you
can see the palace roof with a snake made of
brass slithering down it.

The plaques were most sought after and were bought by museums across
Europe and America—you can see the plaques at the British Museum, in
Chicago, Vienna, Paris and a large collection can be viewed in Berlin.
The arrival and the reception of
the bronze plaques caused a
sensation in Europe. Scholars
struggled to understand how
African craftsmen could have
made such works of art, putting
forward some wild theories to
explain them.
Quickly, however, research
showed that the Benin
bronzes were entirely
West African
creations without
European influence,
and they transformed European
understanding of African history.
 Brass plaque showing the Oba of Benin with
attendants, 16th century, 51 x 37 cm

Although frequently described as 'Benin Bronzes' most plaques are made of
leaded brass in varius composiitons.

As decorations for the halls of the king’s palace, the plaques were designed
to proclaim and glorify the prestige of the king, his status and achievements.

There are over 900 plaques of this type in various museums in
England, Europe and America.
They are thought to have been made in matching pairs
and fixed to pillars in the Oba's palace in Benin City.

Many plaques show images of Portuguese men and they seem to
have been made during the 16th and 17th centuries as their
costumes show.
Although Benin had no gold to offer, they supplied the Portuguese with pepper, ivory,
leopard skins and people, who were taken as slaves to work elsewhere in Africa and in
the Portuguese colonies in Brazil. Many of these people were captives taken in the wars
in which the Benin people conquered their neighbors far and wide and made them part
of the kingdom, or they were sent by the conquered local chiefs as tribute to the king.

Benin & the Portuguese
Trade with the Portuguese probably
encouraged the growth of brass
casting in Benin at this time.
Although West Africans invented the
smelting of copper and zinc ores and
the casting of brass at least as long ago
as the 10th century, they themselves
did not produce enough metal to
supply the casting industry of Benin
city, which gave such splendor to the
king’s palace.
The Portuguese found a ready
market for brass ingots, often
made in the form of bracelets
called "manillas."
Brass manilla (bracelet), 19th century C.E.

The plaques show how
the people of Benin
perceived the
Portuguese traders
and their soldiers, with
their pointed noses,
thin faces and beards
and strange clothes.
Their presence on the
decorations of the
king’s palace shows
how the Portuguese
were regarded as
symbols of the king’s
wealth and power, to
which their trade
contributed so much.

This Portugese soldier wears a typical
16th century European costume, with
steel helmet and sword, and he carries
a flintlock gun.
Guns were new to the people of West
Africa when the Portuguese arrived. So
Africans traded them from Europeans
and learned to make them for
themselves, to help them in their wars
against other peoples who still only had
hand weapons or bows and arrows.
Sometimes the king of Benin even
employed Portuguese soldiers, like this
man, to fight as mercenaries in his
wars.
Figures of Europeans such as this
Portuguese soldier were kept on royal
altars or on the roof of the royal palace
in Benin city.

Another important symbol
on plaques are
LEOPARDS. These show
that the king is also master
of the tropical forest which
covered most of Benin until
recent times.
The leopard is king of the
forest, just as the Oba of
Benin is king of the city and
villages where his people
live.
The king used to keep
leopards, which were
paraded on important
occasions like mascots, and
he sometimes killed them as
sacrifices to his gods.

This figure represents the king
with bead ornaments fringed
with bells upon his dress. His
legs are here shown, and the
fish issue from his sides. In
each hand he is swinging a
leopard as before, the leopards
wearing collars with small
hawk-bells, which would
suggest that they are tame.

Throughout West Africa people tell stories and proverbs about all kinds of
creatures, wild and domestic, and many of them have characters which
reveal important human qualities, in these cases usually those of the king.
So crocodiles, the "policeman of the waters," when shown on a plaque
probably stand for the king’s authority to punish wrongdoers, whilst the
python was the king of snakes, and the messenger of the god Olokun.

Oba with Attendants
A great number of people played their
own parts in the ritual pageantry, as
chiefs and officials, craft guilds or
representatives of local communities.
Even more were involved as
craftworkers producing splendid
costumes and ritual paraphernalia for
the king and chiefs, like those shown
in many of the plaques, or as farmers
supplying food for the feasts.
Many of the plaques probably
represent events or characters from
these annual ceremonies, some of
which the king of Benin still carries
out today.
A procession, with king flanked by attendants who shade him from the sun with their shields. They are dressed in fine
cloth worked in elaborate patterns, whose colorful appearance we can only now imagine. Smaller figures, whose size
as well as their scanty clothing shows their lesser importance, carry a ceremonial sword and the kind of circular box
used to present gifts.

Oba with Europeans Oba in the centre, dressed in a
loin-cloth with a plaited border
and a close-fitting, sleeved
upper garment, covered with
cylindrical beads. He is
accompanied by two
attendants, as well as
representations of long-haired
Europeans which are shown
either side of his head.
Showing the ruler flanked by two
attendants is a typical pictorial
composition of brass and ivory works
from Benin. One interpretation of it is as a
reminder of the heavy burden of kingship.
This is based on the myth of Oba Ewuare
(about 1440-1470) one of Benin’s famous
warrior kings, who having stolen the
coral-bead regalia of Olokun, god of the
sea, felt the heavy weight of the
spiritually-charged regalia symbolizing the
kingship and related obligations, and
asked the people to help him carry it.

BENIN CRAFTS
In the palace of the Oba (king)
lived guilds of specialists such
as leopard hunters,
astrologers, drummers and
craftspeople who produced
brass, ivory, wood sculptures,
embroidered textiles and
leather fans for the Oba, his
chiefs and priests.
Ivory armlet, c. 15th-16th century, 10.5 cm in
diameter, Edo peoples, Benin, Nigeria
This ivory armlet e is worn by the Oba of Benin in
ceremonies. The Oba is represented on the
armlet with mudfish legs and his hands raised to
the sky, thus linking him with the great god
Olokun, ruler of the sea. The mudfish has
symbolic significance among the Edo people as it
can live on land and sea. Similarly, the Oba is
invested with divine powers from the spiritual
world above and the secular world below.

This type of mask was worn by the Oba,
probably around his neck, during the the
Emobo ceremony.
The pendant is said to represent Queen
Mother Idia, mother of Oba Esigie who ruled
in the sixteenth century.
The top of the pendant is decorated with
heads representing the Portuguese,
symbolizing Benin's alliance with and
control over Europeans.
The Portuguese continued to appear in
Benin art long after they had disappeared
from Benin itself.
 Ivory mask, 16th century, 24.5 x 12.5 x 6 cm, Edo
peoples, Benin, Nigeria

4. Benin bronze (brass) technology developed by
learning from Portuguese artists who taught
West Africans how to do it.
T or F ???

V. SIERRA LEONE
SOWEI MASKS—unique to
the region around Sierra Leone—
are worn by senior members of
the all-female Sande Society
during rite-of-passage ceremonies
that signify a girl’s transition to
adulthood.
Sowei helmet mask, collected in 1886, raffia palm fibre and
cotton wood, 43 x 25 cm, Sierra Leone

Masquerade
performances play an
important symbolic role
in the Sande Society.
The mask is worn by the ndoli jowei
("the sowei who dances") along
with a black raffia and textile
costume which completely conceals
her identity.
Traditionally, the ndoli jowei
appears at specific stages of the
period of transition at events that
are accompanied by music, dancing
and singing.
She is regarded as both a physical
manifestation of the spirit of the
Sande Society and an embodiment
of its powerful medicines.

Numerous enigmatic sculptures carved
in stone have been found over a wide
area of Sierra Leone and western
Liberia. Most of these sculptures are in
human form.
The Mende people who occupy the
largest area where they have been
discovered call them nomoli meaning
"found spirit"; they are characterised by
their bulging eyes and flaring nostrils.
The Mende regard them as "rice gods"
and make offerings to them to increase
their harvest yields.
NOMOLI – MENDE PEOPLE

Stone head (mahe yafei), 16th - 18th century, Kisi
people,steatite or soapstone, 24 x 10 x 17.5 cm, Sierra
Leone
STONE HEAD (MAHE YAFEI), Qisi people
Larger, pedestal heads such as this one,
appear to form a sub-group of the figures
described above. This magnificent head
carved from steatite is rendered in a
naturalistic style. It stands on a solid
pedestal base with its head tilted
majestically backwards. The elaborate
hairstyle with top knot and the
representation of earrings is beautifully
captured. Other heads of this type are
carved with beards or moustaches and
some are depicted wearing nose-rings.
Such attributes suggest that these heads
represent people of status, possibly chiefs
or community leaders.

COTTON HAMMOCK, VAI PEOPLE
Cotton hammock, early 20th century, Vai people, cotton, 213 x 125 cm, Sierra
Leone

Hammocks made for a male or female chief in
Sierra Leone in the early twentieth century.
Men and women of status in Sierra Leone
used elaborate hammocks as a key means of
transport in inland areas.

These hammocks had a heavy wooden
frame with a cloth canopy to protect
them from the sun and the hammock
was supported on the heads of four
bearers. The slung part of the hammock
was made from between three to five
strips of woven cotton sewn together
edge to edge to form a wide cloth. The
ends were doubled over to form a loop
through which the carrying poles were
inserted.

5. SOWEI MASKS are worn by senior
members of the Sande Society during rite-of-
passage ceremonies for GIRLS or for BOYS?

VI. The WODAABE of Niger, West Africa

Wodaabe “Gerewol Celebration”
Dancing the Yaake at a Gerewol

Wodaabe = a “nomadic” people - Sahel Desert (West Africa)

Tribe of Wodaabe NOMADS traveling across the desert in Niger
“NOMAD”:
Noun
A member of a people who have no permanent abode and travel from
place to place to find fresh pasture for their livestock.
Adjective
Relating to or characteristic of nomads.
no·mad
/ nō mad/ˈ ˌ

Once a year in a few select locations, the Wodaabe gather to celebrate
the fantastic tradition of GEREWOL, often referred to in the popular
press as a “Male Beauty Pageant.”
A nomadic life in the desert

Primping for the “Pageant”

VANITY is
celebrated in
Wodaabe culture
and at the Gerewol,
their beautiful men
prepare themselves
painstakingly…

When adorned and ready, the men begin their dance marathon
in which they mimic the magical WHITE EGRET (bird)

Wodaabe women like tallness, white eyes & teeth, facial
symmetry in their men -- so BOTH DANCE & MAKEUP ACCENTUATE
THESE FEATURES

IDEAL MALE
BEAUTY,
Wodaabe-style:
1.Tall and athletic:
Ostrich plumes and
pompoms emphasize
height
2.Narrow face:
Decorated with red
ochre
3.Wide eyes: Black
eyeliner made from
charred egret bones
4.Facial symmetry:
Enhanced with black,
yellow and white
patterns
5.Aquiline nose:
White clay arrow
stripe to look more
streamlined

6. Long braids and
cowrie shells:
Symbolize fertility
and wealth
7. White and
regular teeth:
Bared and
emphasized with
black lipstick
8. Good dancer:
Beaded necklaces
and bodices
jangle against
chest in time to
the beat

Everyone comes to a Gerewol expecting to join in

During these dances, the MEN stand shoulder to shoulder
and slowly move round the circle as they dance.

Behind the men stand the eligible WOMEN of the tribe who wait until their
favorite beaux passes by, at which point they tap him on the shoulder to
signal their interest.
Poised to pull

The YAAKE dance, however is the one every man wants to excel in. It’s the
dance that they spend the most time preparing for…
any man who is chosen as the most attractive in a Yaake line up will never be
short of female amorous attention.

Preparation involves the application of elaborate makeup derived from
colorful desert plants and clay…

… the women of the tribe plait their men’s hair with pin point precision:

In Wodaabe culture it is the responsibility of the MEN to beautify themselves TO
APPEAL TO THE WOMEN -- a practice that defies a world-wide tradition of the
reverse.

The Competing Line-Up (Yaake Dance)

Opposite the dancers stands a judgmental FEMALE entourage:

Of these women 3 are specially chosen as a jury to pick the most attractive male

Wodaabe WOMEN are strikingly beautiful
They beautify themselves with
facial scarification & tattoos

Meet the JUDGES:
At the height of the
dance, each of the three
girls shuffles painfully
slowly down the line of
dancing men with her
arm up and head bowed
and upon reaching her
winner, drops her arm to
point him out.

... she turns…
and she CHOOSES!

http://humanplanet.com/timothyallen/2011/01/gerewol_wodaabe_niger_bbc-human-planet-deserts/
Click HERE to see a 2-minute clip of the Gerewol from Human Planet‘s
‘Deserts: Life in the Furnace
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/humanplanetexplorer/life_events/courtship#p00d8tt5

The Wodaabe MENS’ DANCE MIMICS the magical WHITE EGRET:
So… what’s the DIFFERENCE between
HUMAN-MADE beauty & the beauty of
the NATURAL WORLD?

VII. The Art of Living VIDEO QUIZ
DIRECTIONS for Quiz numbers 6 - 10:
While watching the video take BRIF NOTES AS FOLLOWS:
6 -- 8: WODAABE Gerewol Celebration
9 -- 10: DOGON Dama Mask Celebration

Ancient African Art from Aksum to Zimbabwe

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