DESIGN FOR MOBILE LIVING Art from Eastern Africa

Across the lush highlands, dry savannas, and sparse deserts of eastern Africa, nomadic herders traversed vast expanses of territory in search of food and water for their livestock. Over the course of their travels, Maasai, Samburu, Somali, and Turkana pastoralists created a body of artwork that is as unique as it is beautiful. Lightweight, portable, and engineered for life on the move, these objects were usually worn or carried on the body, reflecting the near- constant mobility of their makers. They embrace geometric

eritrea form, celebrate two-dimensional design, and reject almost Red Sea Asmara Khartoum Blue Nile Sanaʼa yemen all figural representation. Yet, the artistic impulse that drove sudan the creation of these objects was rooted in practicality. None

djibouti Gulf of Aden Djibouti of the works presented were created for purely aesthetic purposes. Rather, each played an integral role Addis Ababa somalia in the functioning of east Africa’s pastoralist cultures. White Nile ethiopia

south sudan SOMALI This exhibition highlights the marriage of form and Juba TURKANA Lake Turkana function across the diverse landscapes of eastern Africa— democratic republic of uganda Indian Ocean the congo Mogadishu from the southern Great Rift Valley, where Kenya meets

Kampala SAMBURU Selected ethnic groups Desert Tanzania, all the way to the horn of the continent. While Unforested grassland Lake Grass savanna Victoria kenya Woodland savanna rwanda Nairobi Tropical/coastal forest we attempt to unravel the ways in which mobility shapes Kigali MAASAI burundi creativity and artistic form, we also seek to situate these Bujumbura area of detail

The ethnic group boundaries tanzania presented here refect 20th century objects within the broader histories of the region. Their Lake demographic norms. These borders Tanganyika have shifted throughout history and, Dodoma today, members of all ethnic groups live throughout the region. stories are deeply rooted in the land, but are also inextricably intertwined with histories of European colonialism and capitalist expansion. Indeed, many of the artworks presented in this gallery owe their existence to modern networks of trade and intercultural exchange. Each case in the gallery highlights a different formal element of pastoralist art. We invite you to look closely at these objects from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries and consider how artistic creativity, societal structure, and functional necessity combine to create the colors, shapes, and patterns before you.

Design for Mobile Living: Art from Eastern Africa The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery June 1 – November 27, 2016 Intro text panel ARCHIVES, page 1 of 1 CASE R3 - Center of gallery

artist unidentified A masterpiece of artistic innovation and geometric creativity, However, as the striking geometric division of space on this work this Turkana shield highlights the aesthetic sensibilities demonstrates, Turkana artists also imbued their weapons with Shield, mid-20th century of inland, east Africa. Historically, young men would have used aesthetic qualities that would have made them pleasing to look Turkana region, Kenya shields such as this in battle with neighboring groups. Sent at and to own. Note how the sculptor skillfully modified the Hide, wood away from their families to roam the dry savannas with large traditional rectilinear form with a series of arcs that catch the flocks of cattle, goats, and camels, these warriors frequently eye and draw the viewer’s attention toward the shapes created gift of nancy and robert h. nooter, raided the herds of fellow pastoralists using shields, spears, by the object’s wooden frame. This skillful integration of strongly washington, d.c., bma 1994.272 wristknives, and other weapons. Rectangular in shape and made defined geometric space with subtle curving lines—a creative from the thick hide of giraffes or hippopotami, shields such as choice rarely seen in extant Turkana shields—highlights a key this would have allowed the wearer to block spear thrusts while feature of pastoralist art: the merging of functional necessity simultaneously delivering blows to an enemy combatant. with artistic creativity.

Design for Mobile Living: Art from Eastern Africa The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery June 1 – November 27, 2016 Case and Platform labels/ARCHIVES, page 1 of 15 FOCUS ON GEOMETRY Case R4 (south wall, east platform)

Although the introduction of European glass beads in the design. Prior to European colonial and missionary incursion, late 19th century dramatically increased the variety of artistic shields painted with vegetal and earthen dyes were among the production in inland, east Africa, it had a more limited effect few objects decorated with colored patterns. However, with the FOCUS ON on the region’s underlying design preferences. Artists remained introduction of colored, glass beads, the design principles first focused on creating abstract, geometric patterns using seen on shields of male warriors began to be incorporated into complementary colors. Take, for instance, the Maasai shield. everything from earrings to belts to capes. The strong diagonal Defined by the traditional narok color palette of red, white, lines that divide the Maasai woman’s cape (enkishopo) into GEOMETRY and black, the shield is divided into several lozenge-shaped triangular sections highlight this historical transformation. Worn sections by a formal device known as ildung’ot (cuts). Such for everyday occasions as well as for important ceremonies, these lines, which interrupt and enclose fields of contrasting color, ornamental objects—known as ikonong’o—easily identified are the foundational element of east African two-dimensional wearers as members of the Maasai ethnic group.

Design for Mobile Living: Art from Eastern Africa The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery June 1 – November 27, 2016 Case and Platform labels/ARCHIVES, page 2 of 15 FOCUS ON GEOMETRY Case R4 (south wall, east platform)

artist unidentified artist unidentified artist unidentified

Beaded Ear Ornament Woman’s Cape (Enkishopo), Warrior’s Belt (Enkeene Pus), (Inkonito Onkiyiaa), mid-20th century mid-20th century mid-20th century Maasai region, Kenya or Tanzania Maasai region, Kenya or Tanzania Maasai region, Kenya or Tanzania Leather, aluminum alloy, iron alloy, glass Hide, glass beads, sinew Glass beads, hide, sinew beads, plastic, sinew, pigment gift of nancy and robert h. nooter, gift of nancy and robert h. nooter, gift of aaron and joanie young, washington, d.c., bma 1994.269 washington, d.c., bma 1994.291 baltimore, bma 1991.133

Design for Mobile Living: Art from Eastern Africa The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery June 1 – November 27, 2016 Case and Platform labels/ARCHIVES, page 3 of 15 FOCUS ON GEOMETRY Case R4 (south wall, east platform)

artist unidentified artist unidentified

Female’s Belt (Enkitati), Shield (Elongo), 1950s mid-20th century Maasai region, Tanzania Maasai region, Kenya or Tanzania Leather, wood, leopard fur, pigment Glass beads, hide, sinew, aluminum alloy gift of robert and jane hellawell, gift of nancy and robert h. nooter, chestertown, maryland, bma 1998.476 washington, d.c., bma 1994.295

Design for Mobile Living: Art from Eastern Africa The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery June 1 – November 27, 2016 Case and Platform labels/ARCHIVES, page 4 of 15 FOCUS ON MONOCHROME Case R5 (south wall, west platform)

Form, rather than vibrant color, takes center stage in the art Notably different from the multi-colored, complex designs found produced by Samburu, Somali, and Turkana herders. Defined on Maasai beadwork to the south, this method of highlighting by a stark, monochromatic color palette, art from northern spatial planes through subtle contrasts of similar color represents FOCUS ON Kenya and western Somalia emphasizes the beauty of clearly an older form of pastoralist artmaking, one that pre-dates the delineated space. Take, for instance, the Samburu milk vessel arrival of Europeans. While Maasai art was transformed by (lkantirr). Carved from wood and dyed a deep brown, the the import of glass beads and other goods, the northern, more structure is divided into rounded, rectangular sections by remote areas of inland, east Africa interacted far less frequently MONOCHROME bands of light brown animal hide. Although the carrying with colonizing peoples and their manufactured products. strap seems to necessitate this geometric division, the As a result of this mutual avoidance, artists from these areas symmetry of the sections speaks to an aesthetic attraction continued to make art that reflected their hot, dry, and largely toward monochromatic, subdivided space. monochromatic environment.

Design for Mobile Living: Art from Eastern Africa The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery June 1 – November 27, 2016 Case and Platform labels/ARCHIVES, page 5 of 15 FOCUS ON MONOCHROME Case R5 (south wall, west platform)

artist unidentified artist unidentified artist unidentified

Shield (Gaashaan), Unmarried Woman’s Apron (Nyrach), Vessel (Akutam), mid-20th century mid to late 19th century mid-20th century Turkana region, Kenya Somali region, Issa clan area, Turkana region, Kenya Camel hide, leather, wood Djibouti, Ethiopia, Leather, ostrich egg shell beads or Somalia gift of nancy and robert h. nooter, washington, d.c., bma 1994.273 Rhinoceros hide, wood gift of carolyn barnes, alexandria, virginia, in memory of murvil and katherine barnes, bma 1998.592 gift of the honorable albert h. blum and mrs. blum, baltimore, bma 1982.44

Design for Mobile Living: Art from Eastern Africa The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery June 1 – November 27, 2016 Case and Platform labels/ARCHIVES, page 6 of 15 FOCUS ON MONOCHROME Case R5 (south wall, west platform)

artist unidentified artist unidentified artist unidentified

Milk Vessel (Lkantirr), Pair of Wristknives (Ararait), Spear (Ngerani), mid-20th century mid-20th century mid-20th century Samburu or Turkana region, Kenya Samburu region, Kenya Turkana region, Kenya Iron alloy, wood, leather Wood, hide, sinew Iron alloy, leather collection of george paul meiu, collection of george paul meiu, collection of george paul meiu, cambridge, massachusetts, r.17729.9 cambridge, massachusetts, r.17729.3 cambridge, massachusetts, r.17729.1 and r.17729.2

Design for Mobile Living: Art from Eastern Africa The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery June 1 – November 27, 2016 Case and Platform labels/ARCHIVES, page 7 of 15 FOCUS ON COLOR Case R2 (east wall, case)

The introduction of colored glass beads in the late 19th Turkana, for instance, became known for their love of solid century sparked an artistic revolution across inland, east blocks of red, white, and blue beads while Maasai were Africa. No longer hindered by the narrow color palette immediately recognizable by the complex, linear designs FOCUS ON of local materials such as animal hide and smelted iron, created in red, orange, green, white, and blue. In this highly artists from the region used imported Venetian and mobile landscape, decorative jewelry worn on the arms, Czechoslovakian beads to create a wide array of jewelry. necks, legs, and face also helped individuals and groups Over the course of the 20th century, as the use of beads identify the age, marital status, and social position of those COLOR spread throughout the region and designs became more with whom they came into contact. For example, married complex, it became possible to identify the ethnic group Samburu women traditionally wore necklaces (mporo) identity of individuals based solely on the colors and featuring a vertical row of red, glass beads strung with patterns found on his or her ornamental jewelry. hair from a giraffe’s tail.

Design for Mobile Living: Art from Eastern Africa The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery June 1 – November 27, 2016 Case and Platform labels/ARCHIVES, page 8 of 15 FOCUS ON COLOR Case R2 (east wall, case)

artist unidentified artist unidentified

Armband (Olkatarr Enkaina), Bracelet (Esaa), mid-20th century mid-20th century Maasai region, Kenya or Tanzania Maasai region, Kenya or Tanzania Glass and plastic beads, hide, sinew Glass beads, hide, sinew gift of nancy and robert h. nooter, gift of nancy and robert h. nooter, washington, d.c., bma 1994.286 washington, d.c., bma 1994.281

Design for Mobile Living: Art from Eastern Africa The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery June 1 – November 27, 2016 Case and Platform labels/ARCHIVES, page 9 of 15 FOCUS ON COLOR Case R2 (east wall, case)

artist unidentified artist unidentified artist unidentified

Married Woman’s Necklace Unmarried Girl’s Necklace, Warrior’s Belt (Enkeene Pus), (Mporo), early to mid-20th century mid-20th century mid-20th century Samburu region, Kenya Turkana region, Kenya Maasai region, Loita section, Tanzania Fiber, hide, glass beads Hide, glass beads Glass beads, hide, sinew

gift of nancy and robert h. nooter, gift of nancy and robert h. nooter, gift of nancy and robert h. nooter, washington, d.c., bma 1994.302 washington, d.c., bma 1994.278 washington, d.c., bma 1994.293

Design for Mobile Living: Art from Eastern Africa The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery June 1 – November 27, 2016 Case and Platform labels/ARCHIVES, page 10 of 15 FOCUS ON SHAPE Case R1 (north wall, case)

In an ecosystem hostile to permanent agriculture, a family’s Engineered for life on the move, the shape of these lightweight survival revolved primarily around the formation and objects was designed to enhance their portability. Note the gentle maintenance of a large and healthy herd of cattle, goats, and curve on the incised Maasai vessel. It is easy to imagine how this FOCUS ON camels. These animals, and the milk and meat they provided, object, displayed here with its animal hide strap still intact, would were among the only consistent sources of nutrition have fit over the shoulder of a man or woman traveling across the throughout much of inland, east Africa, and movement highlands of Kenya or Tanzania. However, the beads and careful between watering holes and grazing fields was frequent. geometric designs indicate that these objects were created with an SHAPE Unsurprisingly, containers for storing and consuming eye toward beauty. Even the negative space of the humble Turkana water, milk, and meat are among the most common objects bowl echoes the shape of the Turkana shield displayed behind produced by this region’s nomadic populations. you. Taken together, these works demonstrate that even the most functional objects were created with an eye toward aesthetics.

Design for Mobile Living: Art from Eastern Africa The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery June 1 – November 27, 2016 Case and Platform labels/ARCHIVES, page 11 of 15 FOCUS ON SHAPE Case R1 (north wall, case)

artist unidentified artist unidentified artist unidentified

Vessel (Enkukuri), mid-20th century Vessel with Cup (Akarum), Bowl (Atubwa), mid-20th century Maasai region, Kenya or Tanzania mid-20th century Turkana region, Kenya Gourd, hide, glass beads, iron alloy Turkana region, Kenya Wood, leather, metal Wood, leather, cowrie shells, metal, pigment gift of nancy and robert h. nooter, collection of george paul meiu, washington, d.c., bma 1994.267 gift of carolyn barnes, alexandria, virginia, cambridge, massachusetts, r.17729.4 in memory of murvil and katherine barnes, bma 1998.588.1-2

Design for Mobile Living: Art from Eastern Africa The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery June 1 – November 27, 2016 Case and Platform labels/ARCHIVES, page 12 of 15 FOCUS ON FIGURE Case R6 (west wall, case)

Absent from the artistic work of east African to stimulate fertility and prompt conception while pastoralists is almost any representation of humans the contemporary clay dolls on your left represent a or animals. Most artwork from the region is abstract long-standing tradition of children’s artistic creativity. FOCUS ON and geometric, characterized either by detailed Taken together, these figures speak to the abstract two-dimensional design in vibrant color or by stark impulse that characterizes art from this region. While monochromatic forms. The exceptions to this rule are scholars are still seeking to tease out the connections objects made by or associated with children. Indeed, between abstraction and mobility, it is worth noting FIGURE this array of non-naturalistic Turkana dolls represents that children, who in their young lives have moved far the extent of the region’s figural representation. fewer times than their elders, were more likely to create Fertility dolls, such as those displayed on your right, artworks that approach naturalistic figuration. would have been carried by young women as a way

Design for Mobile Living: Art from Eastern Africa The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery June 1 – November 27, 2016 Case and Platform labels/ARCHIVES, page 13 of 15 FOCUS ON FIGURE Case R6 (west wall, case)

artist unidentified artist unidentified artist unidentified

Fertility Doll (Ekoku), Fertility Doll, mid-20th century Children’s Doll, 2010s early to mid-20th century Turkana region, Kenya Turkana region, Kenya Turkana region, Kenya Wood, hide, glass and plastic beads, fiber Clay, fiber, glass beads, iron alloy Seed pods, hide, glass and plastic beads, sinew, iron alloy gift of sandra r. leichtman, baltimore, collection of george paul meiu, bma 1999.172 cambridge, massachusetts, r.17729.5

gift of nancy and robert h. nooter, washington, d.c., bma 1994.274

Design for Mobile Living: Art from Eastern Africa The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery June 1 – November 27, 2016 Case and Platform labels/ARCHIVES, page 14 of 15 FOCUS ON FIGURE Case R6 (west wall, case)

artist unidentified artist unidentified artist unidentified

Children’s Doll, 2010s Children’s Doll, 2010s Children’s Doll, 2010s Turkana region, Kenya Turkana region, Kenya Turkana region, Kenya Clay, fiber Clay, fiber, glasss and plastic beads Clay

collection of george paul meiu, collection of george paul meiu, collection of george paul meiu, cambridge, massachusetts, r.17729.6 cambridge, massachusetts, r.17729.7 cambridge, massachusetts, r.17729.8

Design for Mobile Living: Art from Eastern Africa The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery June 1 – November 27, 2016 Case and Platform labels/ARCHIVES, page 15 of 15