7Th Grade Curriculum African Art Learn About African Art

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African Art 7th Grade Curriculum

Get Smart with Art is made possible with support from the William K. Bowes, Jr. Foundation, Mr. Rod Burns and Mrs. Jill Burns, and Daphne and Stuart Wells.

Written by Sheila Pressley, Director of Education, and Emily K. Doman Jennings, Research Assistant, with support from the Education Department of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, © 2005. 1 st – 3 rd grade curriculum development by Gail Siegel. Design by Robin Weiss Design. Edited by Ann Karlstrom and Kay Schreiber.

Get Smart with Art @ the de Young Teacher Advisory Committee

1st – 3 rd Grade Renee Marcy, Creative Arts Charter School Lita Blanc, George R. Moscone Elementary School Sylvia Morales, Daniel Webster Elementary School Becky Paulson, Daniel Webster Elementary School Yvette Fagan, Dr. William L. Cobb Elementary School Alison Gray, Lawton Alternative School Margaret Ames, Alamo Elementary School Kim Walker, Yick Wo Elementary School May Lee, Alamo Elementary School 6th Grade Nancy Yin, Lafayette Elementary School Kay Corcoran, White Hill Middle School Sabrina Ly, John Yehall Chin Elementary School Donna Kasprowicz, Portola Valley School Seth Mulvey, Garﬁeld Elementary School Patrick Galleguillos, Roosevelt Middle School Susan Glecker, Ponderosa School Steven Kirk, Francisco Middle School Karen Tom, Treasure Island School Beth Slater, Yick Wo Elementary School 7th Grade Pamela Mooney, Claire Lilienthal Alternative School th 4 Grade Geraldine Frye, Ulloa Elementary School Patrick Galleguillos, Roosevelt Middle School Joelene Nation, Francis Scott Key Elementary School Susan Ritter, Luther Burbank Middle School Mitra Safa, Sutro Elementary School Christina Wilder, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School Julia King, John Muir Elementary School Anthony Payne, Aptos Middle School Maria Woodworth, Alvarado Elementary School Van Sedrick Williams, Gloria R. Davis Middle School Ellen Byrnes, Gloria R. Davis Middle School 5th Grade Annie Wong, George Peabody Elementary School th Judith Rubinson, Sherman Elementary School 8 Grade Libbie Schock, R.L. Stevenson Elementary School Barbara Bonardi, Marina Middle School Mildred Hale, Golden Gate William V. Coegh, Claire Lilienthal Alternative School Elizabeth Medrano, A.P. Giannini Middle School Susan Gold, Presidio Middle School

Steering Committee

Sally Ann Ryan, SFUSD Visual and Performing Arts Supervisor Julia Marshall, Assistant Professor, Art Education, San Francisco State University Donna Leary, University of California, Berkeley History-Social Science Project

Intern Support

Ashlie Gaos Andrea Martin Chloe Portugeis Amanda Reiterman Kelly Williams

Get Smart with Art @ the de Young

Get Smart with Art is an interdisciplinary curriculum package that uses art objects as primary documents, sparking investigations into the diverse cultures represented by the collections at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Using works of art as the foundation of every lesson, each guide is designed to increase visual literacy, historical knowledge, and expository writing skills. In an eﬀort to reduce the burden of teacher preparation time, historical texts are written at the reading level of the intended student audience.

The enclosed materials may be used in preparation for a museum visit or over the course of the school year. Get Smart with Art diﬀers from previous curriculum series in that it is a “living” curriculum which the Education Department seeks to revise through teacher and student feedback. As part of the preliminary assessment of this project, we are conducting pre and post student interviews. If you would like to participate in this process or have any questions regarding the curriculum, please do not hesitate to contact the Education Department.

Get Smart with Art curricula is available in the following subject areas:

1st –3 rd Learning to Look at Art 4th California History: Native American Culture and Westward Expansion 5th American History: Colonial – Revolution 6th Ancient Western Civilizations 7th The Art of Africa and Mesoamerica 8th American History: Revolution – Reconstruction 9th -12 th Site in Sight

To order these materials, please call 415. 750. 3522 or email [email protected]

African Art Introduction

Africa is a vast continent made up of more than ﬁfty countries with many diﬀerent climates and types of land: hot savannas, deserts, green rain forests, large river valleys and snow - covered mountains. The Niger, the Nile, and the Congo are Africa’s three major rivers. Africa is inhabited by a greater variety of ethnic groups (or peoples) than any other continent. These groups speak hundreds of languages, practice diverse religions and customs, and—of course—create a wide variety of art.

Most of the African art at the de Young is from the area south of the Sahara desert, with a strong focus on West and Central Africa. This part of Africa has seen: ● the rise and fall of great trading empires; ● the development of sophisticated kingdoms with related court art and luxury items; ● the continuation of traditions—many centuries old—that dominate rural life outside of the big cities; ● the introduction of Islamic and European inﬂuences that have challenged and, in many cases, changed traditional religions, lifestyles, and art forms.

These historical trends can be followed and illuminated by examining objects in the de Young’s collection. We hope that studying these objects will help bring greater understanding of this huge and diverse continent.

Special thanks to Dr. Herbert M. Cole and Dr. Diala Touré for generously reviewing and providing invaluable additions to these materials.

GET SMART WITH ART 7TH GRADE AFRICA

GETTING STARTED

Part 1:

Building Background Knowledge and Developing Observational and Analytical Skills

Materials: •Maps-Sub-Sahara Africa and world maps (wall and text) •Student resource packets developed from Oakland Uniﬁed School District website (see bibliography) •Description of DeYoung African Art Collection •chart paper, overhead or chalkboard/erase board and writing utensils

Time: 30-45 minutes

Class work:

•Ask students to read background information on African art using DeYoung descriptions, texts, websites, reference and research materials. Review the geographical region of Sub-Sahara Africa using world and Africa maps. The teacher may also want to present some background information through a brief introductory lecture to the class.

•Brainstorm with class, using chart paper, overhead or writing board using these headings:

What we know so far about African art:

What questions we have/what we want to investigate:

Part 2 Sharpening observational/ visual skills and note taking-Preliminary viewing of The African Collection at the deYoung Museum

Materials: Writing utensils and Artifact Note taking worksheets (see Appendix A) for each student

Time: 60 minutes

Class work:

If you have an LCD projector, use the DVD provided to introduce the objects to the class and review the meaning of each artifact.

If your classroom does not have computer availability, use the Object Information Sheets and place them in diﬀerent stations throughout the classroom. Hand out Artifact Note taking Sheets to students and review these sheets with class. As students to rotate through the stations, until all students have seen all artifacts and have taken notes about these objects. *This activity could be done in partners or teams of three.

Part 3 Researching artifact and creating ﬁrst draft of exhibit display

Materials:

•research texts, website information, maps, art history books, history books

•notetaking materials

•scanner or photography materials for display

•art materials

Time: 90 minutes

Class work: •Divide students into Museum Design Display teams, three students to a team. Assign one of the African exhibit artifacts to each team. Their task is to create an exhibit for that artifact. Using the Previewing the Artifact note taking sheet (see Appendix B), students jot down what they notice and what they wonder about the artifact. This process narrows the focus for their research and writing.

•Explain to your students that the deYoung is searching for an outstanding design display team. A competition will be held in your classroom and judges* (*you and your class or invited guests from your school) will choose teams that are eligible for the competition based on the development of their exhibit and the tour they oﬀer of the exhibit.

•Design displays for each team include written description of the artifact, photo or drawing of the artifact, and an oral presentation by the team about the artifact.

•Students then research information about their object and its importance to the collection.

•Students write a description of the artifact including its history, uses, materials, artist, cultural importance, factual information about the country of origin, relevance during historical time period, archeological facts, museum involvement (acquisition/preservation/donor). Teachers may want to use descriptions from DeYoung Museum catalogue as writing models for students. From the written description, the audience should understand the relevance of this artifact to the African Collection. Using the writing process, students read their descriptions aloud to each other, checking for coherence, clarity of ideas and information, and logical order of information presented. After drafts are completed, students edit for grammatical and spelling correctness.

•Students design their display using their writing, artwork, labels, etc.

Part 4

Presentation Preparation and Rehearsal

Materials: All materials necessary for mounting Design Display Exhibits in classroom, such as scissors, tape/glue, yarn, paper, stencils, tagboard, colored pencils, etc.

Time: 45 minutes

Class work:

•Students prepare and mount their museum exhibit for Design Display competition.

•Students prepare an outline for the oral presentation of their artifact exhibit. These presentations should take into consideration how to create interest about their artifact for the audience of judges. Students should then rehearse their presentations so that each team member knows what they will show and what they will say. Review with students the pointers of a good oral presentation, including use of voice modulation, use of eye contact, enunciation, etc.

Part 5

Presentations to judges

Students present their Design Display Team Artifact Exhibit to the panel of judges. Presentations are judged on quality of written material, oral presentation, and design display. Rubric for judging can be created by the class.

DeYoung Visit

Students are ready to enjoy a real-life tour of the African Exhibit at the deYoung Museum. Arrange a time to take students to the deYoung Museum. After the tour at the deYoung Museum, ask students to individually write up a summary of their tour and a comparison between their classroom exhibit and the deYoung exhibit. They can discuss their ideas with their groups ﬁrst. What were the diﬀerences? What were the similarities? How would they change their own exhibit after seeing the deYoung exhibit?

Extension:

Art activities related to the African collection at the deYoung Museum can be found at www.thinker.org. If collaboration between social studies, language arts, and art instructors is a possibility, the classroom exhibit could feature the visual and written work of the students rather than the art objects from the deYoung Museum.

•Students could create a museum catalogue of their exhibits, including their written and pictorial work for the competition.

•Students could create a virtual tour of their exhibits from the competition using a variety of technology programs such as a slide show.

•Students could invite other classes, parents, or administrators for a docent tour of their exhibits. Artifact Note Taking Chart

Object Name: Main Ideas: Take notes on the In your own words: signiﬁcant details of the person, role, Put these notes in your own words. when, where and function of this piece. Who/What

Role

When/ Where

Function

Other information: Materials and Details on Piece

Appendix A

Previewing the Artifact

I Notice I Wonder Write down things you see in your artifact Write down questions you have about your artifact

Appendix B

Additional Reading Fiction and Non-Fiction 7th Grade African Get Smart with Art @the de Young

Fiction:

1. Burns, Khephra. MANSA MUSA: THE LION OF MALI. Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon. Gulliver/Harcourt, 2001. Kidnapped from his village, Kankan Musa begins a desert journey, learning the history and lessons needed to become a great king in fourteenth-century Mali. An epic story with stunning illustrations.

2. McKissack, Patricia. NZINGHA: WARRIOR QUEEN OF MATAMBA. Scholastic, 2000. The diary of the Angolan girl who became queen and general of her people, waging war against the Portuguese slave trade. In The Royal Diaries series.

Non-Fiction:

1. Ayo, Yvonne. AFRICA. Photographs by Ray Moller and Geoﬀ Dann. DK, 2000. This introduction includes information on the gold of the Asante, rulers and leaders, masks, musical instruments, and many other topics.

2. Azuonye, Chukwuma. DOGON. Rosen, 1996. Describes the Dogon people of Mali and Burkina Faso, primarily grain farmers, noted for their colorful masks and symbolic wooden statues. Part of The Heritage Library of African Peoples. Also: ASANTE; IGBO; MALINKE; YORUBA.

3. Glubok, Shirley. THE ART OF AFRICA. Harper & Row, 1965. Many black and white photographs of art objects accompany the brief, informative text.

4. Hansen, Joyce. AFRICAN PRINCESS: THE AMAZING LIVES OF AFRICA’S ROYAL WOMEN. Illustrated by Laurie McGaw. Jump At The Sun/Hyperion, 2004. Discusses six African leaders including Amina of Zaria (located in present-day Nigeria) and Njinga of Matamba (Kongo kingdom).

5. Koslow, Philip. CENTURIES OF GREATNESS: THE WEST AFRICAN KINGDOMS: 750-1900. Chelsea House, 1995. A summary that begins with the Ghanaian Empire, known for its salt and gold trading, and ends with the collapse of the Asante kingdom.

6. Mann, Kenny. GHANA, MALI, SONGHAY: THE WESTERN SUDAN. Contains oral legends and history, geography and culture, and the inﬂuence of Islam on Sudan. An attractive volume in the African Kingdoms of the Past series.

7. McKissack, Patricia and Fredrick. THE ROYAL KINGDOMS OF GHANA, MALI, AND SONGHAY: LIFE IN MEDIEVAL AFRICA. Holt, 1993. Surveys the medieval kingdoms of the Western Sudan that ﬂourished between 500-1700 A.D. becoming centers of trade and culture.

8. Osseo-Asare, Fran. A GOOD SOUP ATTRACTS CHAIRS. Pelican, 1993. Recipes for drinks, main courses, starchy accompaniments, snacks and party foods, and desserts and sweets from West, sub-Saharan Africa.

9. Price, Christine. DANCING MASKS OF AFRICA. Scribners, 1975. A poetic, evocative description of the role of ceremonial masks in West Africa. Also: THE TALKING DRUMS OF AFRICA.

List prepared by: Grace Ruth, Oﬃce of Children & Youth Services, San Francisco Public Library. Tyrrhenian Sea SPAIN Aegean TURKEY Caspian PORTUGAL Sea GREECE Ionian Sea MALTA SYRIA CYPRUS Mediterranean Sea LEBANON IRAN MOROCCO TUNISIA ISRAEL

JORDAN Canary Islands IRAQ LIBYA ALGERIA Persian Gulf N i SAUDI ARABIA le BAHRAIN R iv e WESTERN S a h a r a D e EGYPT r s e r QATAR SAHARA t U. A. E. I notice. . .

MAURITANIA Red Sea MALI NIGER nega ERITREA Se l R i v e Dogon CHAD r SUDAN N SENEGAL ig Bamana e YEMEN r R iv GAMBIA e r GUINEA Gulf of Aden BISSAU BURKINA GUINEA BENIN NIGERIA e nu SOMALIA Be Mende Yoruba ETHIOPIA SIERRA LEONE Akan GHANA IVORY COAST Benin CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC Mano TOGO CAMEROON LIBERIA Asante

EQUATORIAL GUINEA ver ngo Ri Co UGANDA SAO TOME & PRINCIPE KENYA Sango CONGO RWANDA GABON ZAIRE

BURUNDI

Kongo Indian Ocean TANZANIA

Atlantic Ocean COMOROS

MALAWI MOZAMBIQUE ZAMBIA ANGOLA

MADAGASCAR

ZIMBABWE NAMIBIA

BOTSWANA

SWAZILAND

LESOTHO

SOUTH AFRICA I wonder. . .

Prestige Trumpet Mende, Sierra Leone Early 20th century Elephant ivory 57⁄8 x 30¹¹⁄16 x 39⁄16 in. (14.9 x 78 x 9 cm) Gift of Peter and Ann Wengraf 1994.169.1

Africa Object Information Sheet 7th Grade 1 Ivory Chief’s Trumpet west Africa Age: Around 100 years old Size: 2½ feet long Function: To announce the arrival of high-ranking chiefs

For hundreds of years ivory trumpets such as this were used in West Africa to announce the arrival of high-ranking chiefs. The music made by an ivory horn of this size is similar to the trumpeting sound of an This Igbo man is erbert M. Cole elephant. This horn retains the shape of the elephant’s showing the way an elephant tusk trumpet tusk. Within Africa, the elephant has long been respected is blown. (Southern b l

Copyright H o Nigeria, 1982) w for its power and wisdom. The ivory from its tusks is ho le also admired for its hardness, color, rarity, and shine. de tail Ivory has played an important role in Africa’s history. Why does it look like this? traditional: In this discussion, the term “traditional” refers It has been made into luxury items for traditional The Mende carver who made this trumpet playfully carved the hole (used Mende: a group of African people who to older African ways of life, beliefs, art styles, and religions that African use such as this trumpet. It has been traded to blow into the trumpet) in the figure’s chest, exactly where the lungs would live in Sierra Leone and Liberia were in place before the arrival or great influence of European to Arab merchants who crossed the Sahara Desert. be. The figure wears a western style hat, influenced by European hat styles. and Muslim cultures. Over the last 200 years, huge amounts of African ivory During the late 1800s, Great Britain began to trade with the colonial powers: During the 1800s, were exported by colonial powers. As a result, the Mende people; at the same time European‑style many European countries claimed land African elephant is now an endangered species, and the clothing began to appear on traditional Mende in Africa. These European countries or international trade of ivory has been banned. art objects such as this. colonial powers were interested in Africa as a source of wealth through the supply of slaves and raw materials. Between 1900 and 1975, African countries won their right to self-government.

h a t d e ta il Ivory Chief’s Trumpet west Africa Age: Around 100 years old Size: 2½ feet long Function: To announce the arrival of high-ranking chiefs

h a t d e ta il Tyrrhenian Sea SPAIN Aegean TURKEY Caspian PORTUGAL Sea GREECE Ionian Sea MALTA SYRIA CYPRUS Mediterranean Sea LEBANON IRAN MOROCCO TUNISIA ISRAEL

JORDAN Canary Islands IRAQ LIBYA ALGERIA Persian Gulf N i SAUDI ARABIA le BAHRAIN R iv e WESTERN S a h a r a D e EGYPT r s e r QATAR SAHARA t U. A. E. I notice. . .

EQUATORIAL GUINEA ver ngo Ri Co UGANDA SAO TOME & PRINCIPE KENYA Sango CONGO RWANDA GABON ZAIRE

BURUNDI

Kongo Indian Ocean TANZANIA

Atlantic Ocean COMOROS

MALAWI MOZAMBIQUE ZAMBIA ANGOLA

MADAGASCAR

ZIMBABWE NAMIBIA

BOTSWANA

SWAZILAND

LESOTHO

SOUTH AFRICA I wonder. . .

Prestige Trumpet Mende, Sierra Leone Early 20th century Elephant ivory 57⁄8 x 30¹¹⁄16 x 39⁄16 in. (14.9 x 78 x 9 cm) Gift of Peter and Ann Wengraf 1994.169.1

Africa Object Information Sheet 7th Grade 1 Tyrrhenian Sea SPAIN Aegean TURKEY Caspian PORTUGAL Sea GREECE Ionian Sea MALTA I notice. . . SYRIA CYPRUS Mediterranean Sea LEBANON IRAN MOROCCO TUNISIA ISRAEL

JORDAN Canary Islands IRAQ LIBYA ALGERIA Persian Gulf N i SAUDI ARABIA le BAHRAIN R iv e WESTERN S a h a r a D e EGYPT r s e r QATAR SAHARA t U. A. E.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA ver ngo Ri Co UGANDA SAO TOME & PRINCIPE KENYA Sango CONGO RWANDA GABON ZAIRE

BURUNDI

Kongo Indian Ocean TANZANIA

Atlantic Ocean COMOROS

MALAWI MOZAMBIQUE ZAMBIA ANGOLA

MADAGASCAR

ZIMBABWE NAMIBIA

BOTSWANA

SWAZILAND

LESOTHO

SOUTH AFRICA

Plaque: Girl with Leopard Kingdom of Benin, Edo, Nigeria Ca. 1600 Bronze or brass, 17¾ x 7 in. (45.1 x 17.8 cm) Museum purchase, William H. Noble Bequest Fund 1980.31 I wonder. . .

Africa Object Information Sheet 7th Grade 2 Plaque from the Kingdom of Benin west Africa Age: Over 400 years old Size: Around 1½ feet tall This young female figure was probably a royal servant in the Benin court. On her shoulder is a water jug in the form of a leopard. Actual Function: leopard jugs like this were used in Benin court ceremonies. The To decorate a royal palace leopard is a symbol of the Benin king. For many years the Benin kings actually kept leopards at the royal palace, and they were also given as sacrifices to royal ancestors. Why does it look like this? The detailed marks on the royal servant’s body might have been patterns of body paint. The plaque is pierced at the four corners so that it could be attached to a pillar of the l i a t royal palace. e d g in t in a p dy bo

In West and Central Africa there were many great kingdoms built, in part, on the wealth that resulted from long-distance trade. Many beautiful pieces of art plaque: a flat were made for these royal courts. This plaque was thin piece of Benin: a West made over 400 years ago to decorate the royal Benin metal used for African kingdom Nigeria: a palace in present-day Nigeria. The plaque is made decoration or in Nigeria modern-day to remember a from bronze, a costly and rare metal often used in country in West certain event or royal art. The artists of Benin were experts in bronze Africa person casting. In fact, this part of Africa had

bronze: a metal made up of copper and perfected metalworking long before tin that must be melted at extremely high Europeans arrived on the coast in temperatures to be formed into shapes. the 1470s and 1480s. The shapes are usually first made in wax, and then covered with clay to form a mold. Liquid metal is poured into the mold, which then must be broken to reveal the sculpture. This is called “lost

wax” casting. m

ritish Museu This photograph from the 1930s shows Oba il a et Akenzua II, King of Benin, wearing coral and d d ar leop ivory jewelry and symbols of kingship at one of

Copyright B the great ceremonial events in Benin. Plaque from the Kingdom of Benin west Africa Age: Over 400 years old Size: Around 1½ feet tall This young female figure was probably a royal servant in the Benin court. On her shoulder is a water jug in the form of a leopard. Actual Function: leopard jugs like this were used in Benin court ceremonies. The To decorate a royal palace leopard is a symbol of the Benin king. For many years the Benin kings actually kept leopards at the royal palace, and they were also given as sacrifices to royal ancestors. Why does it look like this? The detailed marks on the royal servant’s body might have been patterns of body paint. The plaque is pierced at the four corners so that it could be attached to a pillar of the l i a t royal palace. e d g in t in a p dy bo

wax” casting. m

ritish Museu This photograph from the 1930s shows Oba il a et Akenzua II, King of Benin, wearing coral and d d ar leop ivory jewelry and symbols of kingship at one of

Copyright B the great ceremonial events in Benin. Tyrrhenian Sea SPAIN Aegean TURKEY Caspian PORTUGAL Sea GREECE Ionian Sea MALTA I notice. . . SYRIA CYPRUS Mediterranean Sea LEBANON IRAN MOROCCO TUNISIA ISRAEL

JORDAN Canary Islands IRAQ LIBYA ALGERIA Persian Gulf N i SAUDI ARABIA le BAHRAIN R iv e WESTERN S a h a r a D e EGYPT r s e r QATAR SAHARA t U. A. E.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA ver ngo Ri Co UGANDA SAO TOME & PRINCIPE KENYA Sango CONGO RWANDA GABON ZAIRE

BURUNDI

Kongo Indian Ocean TANZANIA

Atlantic Ocean COMOROS

MALAWI MOZAMBIQUE ZAMBIA ANGOLA

MADAGASCAR

ZIMBABWE NAMIBIA

BOTSWANA

SWAZILAND

LESOTHO

SOUTH AFRICA

Plaque: Girl with Leopard Kingdom of Benin, Edo, Nigeria Ca. 1600 Bronze or brass, 17¾ x 7 in. (45.1 x 17.8 cm) Museum purchase, William H. Noble Bequest Fund 1980.31 I wonder. . .

Africa Object Information Sheet 7th Grade 2 Tyrrhenian Sea SPAIN Aegean TURKEY Caspian PORTUGAL Sea GREECE Ionian Sea MALTA I notice. . . SYRIA CYPRUS Mediterranean Sea LEBANON IRAN MOROCCO TUNISIA ISRAEL

JORDAN Canary Islands IRAQ LIBYA ALGERIA Persian Gulf N i SAUDI ARABIA le BAHRAIN R iv e WESTERN S a h a r a D e EGYPT r s e r QATAR SAHARA t U. A. E.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA ver ngo Ri Co UGANDA SAO TOME & PRINCIPE KENYA Sango CONGO RWANDA GABON ZAIRE

BURUNDI

Kongo Indian Ocean TANZANIA

Atlantic Ocean COMOROS

MALAWI MOZAMBIQUE ZAMBIA ANGOLA

MADAGASCAR

ZIMBABWE NAMIBIA

BOTSWANA

SWAZILAND

LESOTHO

SOUTH AFRICA

Gold Weight Scale with Funnel and Spoon Ghana 20th century Copper alloy metal and cotton fiber 105⁄8 x 65⁄16 x 2³⁄8 in. (27 x 16 x 6 cm) Gift of James and Lin Willis 2004.98a–e I wonder. . .

Africa Object Information Sheet 7th Grade 3 Gold Weight Scale This Akan goldsmith is making wax models of objects (snake, turtle, mudfish, etc.) that will west Africa later be covered with clay, forming molds which will be dried in a fire. Then molten brass will be poured into the molds. (Southern Ghana, 1972) Age: Around 100 years old Size: Around 1 foot long erbert M. Cole Function:

To assist in sales Copyright H transactions area through Muslim traders from the great trading Muslim: a believer in the religious faith kingdoms of Ancient Ghana and Ancient Mali. of Islam Ancient Ghana (A.D. 700 to West African gold comes from many locations in Ancient Mali (A.D. 1200 to 1500): 1200): the the forest and the savanna, especially from parts of The trading empire of Mali followed the kingdom of the fall of Ghana. This empire was located in what is now modern Ghana. Gold occurs naturally in Soninke people part of the old Ghana empire as well as some dirt, sand, and river gravel, as well as deep within with a rich trans- part of the modern-day country of Mali. the ground. Small amounts could be obtained by the Saharan trade, located in what is savanna: a region of grasslands con simple panning of river sand and gravel. To find the rich now Mauritania. taining scattered trees and vegetation deposits, however, workers had to dig shafts up to one The name Ghana hundred feet deep to reach the gold‑bearing rock called is also used for “ore.” It was dangerous work, because the mine shafts the modern-day country located could collapse. along the western Akan chiefs commonly coast. charged taxes on miners and Akan: related Ghana: a the Akan people of Ghana Until around 1900, claimed ownership of all nuggets groups of African modern-day West currency: any used gold (dust and nuggets) as their currency. The peoples who live African country over a certain weight. Akan gold form of money price of an object was measured using balance beam in modern-day formerly called being used as production reached its peak in the scales such as this. The buyer and Ghana and the the Gold Coast. a medium of 1600s. Before that time, much gold Ivory Coast Ghana (like Mali) the seller each had their own exchange was transported across the Sahara took its name scale and set of fifteen or from a medieval Desert, ending up in Europe. Many more brass weights. On African kingdom. mines have been closed over the one side of the scale centuries, but some in Ghana are was placed a brass still open and producing gold today. weight, representing the Gold continues to be an important agreed‑upon price. On and symbolic material in the s the other side, the gold p o regalia of Akan chiefs and kings. regalia: the o was placed. The buyer n d dress, jewelry, e ta adjusted the gold dust il and objects of chiefs and kings This gold-weigher with a spoon until the scale (center) holds his balanced. Both the buyer and the scale suspended over his left thumb. He was seller weighed the gold dust on their own scales to be This Akan ruler holds a gold flywhisk. Both his hel Monnier c photographed with his sure the transaction was fair. If there was a dispute, head wrap and sandals are adorned with gold, and he wears a large amount of gold jewelry. In two assistants about they went to another person whose weights they both 1824, probably in the front of him are golden handles of state swords. hoto: Mar hoto:

P Ivory Coast. trusted. This system of weighing gold came to this (Ghana, 1981) Gold Weight Scale This Akan goldsmith is making wax models of objects (snake, turtle, mudfish, etc.) that will west Africa later be covered with clay, forming molds which will be dried in a fire. Then molten brass will be poured into the molds. (Southern Ghana, 1972) Age: Around 100 years old Size: Around 1 foot long erbert M. Cole Function:

P Ivory Coast. trusted. This system of weighing gold came to this (Ghana, 1981) Tyrrhenian Sea SPAIN Aegean TURKEY Caspian PORTUGAL Sea GREECE Ionian Sea MALTA I notice. . . SYRIA CYPRUS Mediterranean Sea LEBANON IRAN MOROCCO TUNISIA ISRAEL

JORDAN Canary Islands IRAQ LIBYA ALGERIA Persian Gulf N i SAUDI ARABIA le BAHRAIN R iv e WESTERN S a h a r a D e EGYPT r s e r QATAR SAHARA t U. A. E.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA ver ngo Ri Co UGANDA SAO TOME & PRINCIPE KENYA Sango CONGO RWANDA GABON ZAIRE

BURUNDI

Kongo Indian Ocean TANZANIA

Atlantic Ocean COMOROS

MALAWI MOZAMBIQUE ZAMBIA ANGOLA

MADAGASCAR

ZIMBABWE NAMIBIA

BOTSWANA

SWAZILAND

LESOTHO

SOUTH AFRICA

Gold Weight Scale with Funnel and Spoon Ghana 20th century Copper alloy metal and cotton fiber 105⁄8 x 65⁄16 x 2³⁄8 in. (27 x 16 x 6 cm) Gift of James and Lin Willis 2004.98a–e I wonder. . .

Africa Object Information Sheet 7th Grade 3 I notice. . .

I wonder. . .

Africa Object Information Sheet 7th Grade 4 WoodenWinged Carving Genius of an Ancestor or Deity WEST AFRICA Age: About 800 years old Size: Almost 7 feet tall Function: To aid in communication with the spirit world

This wooden figure is around 800 years old. It Mali Empire (A.D. 1200 to 1500): is very rare for a wooden object to survive for so many The trading empire of Mali followed the Songhai centuries in the African climate. This figure was made fall of Ghana. This empire was located in Empire (A.D. part of the old Ghana Empire as well as 1350 to 1600): during the time of the great Mali and Songhai part of the modern-day country of Mali. the last great empires. Both of these empires were heavily influenced trading empire of by the religion of Islam. As these empires expanded, Islam: a religion based on the West Africa teachings of the prophet Muhammad the Dogon people left their early homelands to avoid (ca. A.D. 570–632) that believes in one confronting Islamic influences. They fled to the steep Dogon: a group god, Allah. Muslim traders introduced of African people cliffs of an area called the Bandiagara plateau. This the Islamic faith and the first system of who live in Mali plateau, located in a remote part of Mali, provided the writing and numbers to Africa around A.D. 1000. Unlike traditional African Dogon people with a geographically isolated homeland. a religions, Islamic religious beliefs plateau: This isolation was very beneficial for the Dogon during raised and discouraged the creation of art in the relatively flat area the time of the slave trade. The Dogon were among the image of living things, such as humans of land, often with few West African peoples who were able to avoid being and animals. a cliff at the edge taken as slaves. Since the Dogon had little contact

Mali: a modern- day country in West Africa named for the ancient medieval kingdom of the same name This is a Dogon village, built on the plain below the Bandiagara plateau. Part of the cliff is seen in the background. The buildings with straw roofs are granaries, buildings in which grain is stored.

with outside groups, their culture did not change much and remained very traditional until the early 1900s. During the mid-to-late 1800s and early traditional: In this discussion, the 1900s, Islamic beliefs—which discouraged art in the image of people— term “traditional” refers to older or earlier African ways of life, beliefs, art styles, eventually reached the region. This wooden figure was most likely hidden and religions that were in place before to keep it from being destroyed. It was probably placed out of sight in a dry the arrival or great influence of European cave. This would explain why the carving has survived for so long and why and Muslim cultures. the wood has not disintegrated. This figure represents anancestor or a water spirit. In most traditional ancestor: a African religions great respect was paid to both ancestors and nature spirits. relative from whom a person This figure would have served as a kind of altar and aided in the important is descended, communication between humans and the spirit world. usually more remote than a Why does it look this way? grandparent, and usually not The figure is both a male and a female! Most traditional African artists named were not interested in showing the actual physical world or realistic human beings; they wanted to show the unseen world of legends and spirits. The artist who made this carving was perhaps demonstrating the Dogon cultural values of balance and male/female duality. The Dogon believe that at duality: a birth, each person has characteristics of both sexes; it is only later, in the concept of contrasting teenage years, that people become fully male or female. Spirits, which are opposites such not human beings, also may be a combination of both male and female. as male/female, The figure’s upraised arms probably represent prayer or communication night/day, between this world and the unseen spirit world. The figure has marks, wilderness/ civilization, up/ known as scarification, on its stomach and sides. Scarification is achieved down, etc. when skin is cut and then rubbed with ash to make raised scars. Its purpose is to make a person more beautiful or to show membership in a group or status level in society. Tyrrhenian Sea SPAIN Aegean TURKEY Caspian PORTUGAL Sea GREECE Ionian Sea MALTA SYRIA CYPRUS Mediterranean Sea LEBANON IRAN MOROCCO TUNISIA ISRAEL

JORDAN Canary Islands IRAQ LIBYA ALGERIA Persian Gulf N i SAUDI ARABIA le BAHRAIN R iv e WESTERN S a h a r a D e EGYPT r s e r QATAR SAHARA t U. A. E.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA ver ngo Ri Co UGANDA SAO TOME & PRINCIPE KENYA Sango CONGO RWANDA GABON ZAIRE

BURUNDI

Kongo Indian Ocean TANZANIA

Atlantic Ocean COMOROS

MALAWI MOZAMBIQUE ZAMBIA ANGOLA

MADAGASCAR

ZIMBABWE NAMIBIA

BOTSWANA

SWAZILAND

LESOTHO

SOUTH AFRICA

Standing Ancestor or Divinity Dogon, Mali Ca. A.D. 1027–1209 Wood and metal, 68 x 12 x 10 in. (172.7 x 30.5 x 25.4 cm) Museum purchase, gift of the Wattis Family, in loving memory of Phyllis Wattis, and Roscoe and Margaret Oaks Income Fund 2003.65 I notice. . .

I wonder. . .

Africa Object Information Sheet 7th Grade 5 WingedBird Genius Mask WEST AFRICA

Age: Over 100 years old Size: 1 foot high Function: To play a central role in a masking ceremony

From around the year 1000 to the 1400s, Mali, the large trade networks of the empires of Mali, Songhai, and Islam: a religion based on the Songhai, and Ghana brought the religion of Islam, Ghana: the teachings of the prophet Muhammad (ca. as well as the first systems of writing and numbers, great trading A.D. 570–632) that believes in one god, to the west coast of Africa. This area already had a empires of West Allah. Unlike traditional African religions, Africa from A.D. Islamic religious beliefs discouraged strong and important masking tradition. Masks and 700 to 1600 the creation of art in the image of living things, such as humans and animals.

This Igbo masker is performing an Ogbodo Enyi or friend of the village masquerade. (Southern Nigeria,

masquerades served many functions. masquerade: a masking ceremony. They helped people to There are many different parts to a masquerade: the mask, the costume, • contact the spirit world, the masker’s movements and words, the • teach proper behavior, music, the audience’s participation, and • celebrate farming rituals, the spiritual beliefs. • enforce laws, • or amuse and entertain an audience. This mask, carved by an artist of the Mano people of Liberia in the 1800s, Mano: a group Liberia: a represents a human face with a huge bird beak. Along the edge of the of African people modern-day who live in Liberia country in West mask are three rows of parallel lines and holes where a costume was once Africa attached. A masker rarely wore a mask without wearing an entire body costume. masker: a Also, this person who wears a mask or mask shows a headdress. In how Islam traditional African blended with societies, a masker is almost traditional traditional: In always a man this discussion, African religious (except among the term the Mende and practices such “traditional” related peoples, as masking. refers to older where women or earlier African On the inner also wear masks). ways of life, surface of the Usually a masker beliefs, art styles, must belong COPYRIGHT HERBERT M. COLE mask is Arabic and religions that to a special These Muslim children are holding up their Arabic writing boards, their writing from an were in place group within the version of our “chalkboards” or exercise books. (Democratic Republic of before the arrival Islamic prayer, community to Congo, 1983) or great influence included—no gain the right to of European and wear the mask. doubt—to give the mask the added power of Islam. Islam, as practiced in Muslim cultures. West Africa, flourished in part because of its flexibility in mixing with earlier traditional African religions. The older African religions survived because they possessed great strength and the ability to adapt to new influences. Why does it look like this? The forehead of this mask is covered with dried blood, feathers, and chewed kola nuts. These are the remains of ritual offerings made to the spirit of the mask. The bird represented in this mask is a hornbill, a large bird respected for its loyalty to family members, strong hunting abilities, and skill in nest building. The hornbill is a perfect symbol for the Mano society, a society that stressed loyalty, hard work, and achievement.

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S G IN R E FF O Tyrrhenian Sea SPAIN Aegean TURKEY Caspian PORTUGAL Sea GREECE Ionian Sea MALTA SYRIA CYPRUS Mediterranean Sea LEBANON IRAN MOROCCO TUNISIA ISRAEL

JORDAN Canary Islands IRAQ LIBYA ALGERIA Persian Gulf N i SAUDI ARABIA le BAHRAIN R iv e WESTERN S a h a r a D e EGYPT r s e r QATAR SAHARA t U. A. E.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA ver ngo Ri Co UGANDA SAO TOME & PRINCIPE KENYA Sango CONGO RWANDA GABON ZAIRE

BURUNDI

Kongo Indian Ocean TANZANIA

Atlantic Ocean COMOROS

MALAWI MOZAMBIQUE ZAMBIA ANGOLA

MADAGASCAR

ZIMBABWE NAMIBIA

BOTSWANA

SWAZILAND

LESOTHO

SOUTH AFRICA

Hornbill Mask for Poro Society Mano, Northwestern, Liberia 19th century Wood, metal, cloth, fiber, and ink 12 x 5¾ x 15 in. (30.5 x 14.6 x 38.1 cm) Museum purchase, gift of the Museum Auxiliary 73.9 I notice. . . I wonder. . .

Africa Object Information Sheet 7th Grade 61 Power Figure, Akua’ba WEST AFRICA Age: Around 100 years old Size: Around 1 foot tall Function: To ensure the birth of a healthy baby

continuity: Continuity of the family is the ability to traditional: In this discussion, the a large concern in traditional maintain without term “traditional” refers to older or earlier African village society. The future interruption African ways of life, beliefs, art styles, and religions that were in place before of the family and of the group the arrival or great influence of European depends on having children. fertility: the and Muslim cultures. Human fertility is the subject ability to produce of a number of art or ritual either children or crops objects. This figure, made by the Asante people of Ghana, is called Asante: a group an akua’ba. These figures are made of African people to aid in fertility or, if used by an who live in Ghana already pregnant woman, to ensure Ghana: a the birth of a healthy, handsome modern-day baby. In order for the carving to country in West work, a ritual expert (or priest) must Africa named after the ancient first give it power through a ritual, medieval kingdom

This Asante woman is modeling the way an akua’ba figure is worn tucked in her skirt wrapper in exactly the same position her now

COPYRIGHT HERBERT M. COLE unborn child will later take. (Ghana, 1976) This is an Asante shrine to the river deity Tano. Notice the akua’ba figures in the corner. They were returned to the shrine by women who had received help from the river deity in conceiving a child or having a healthy baby. (Southern Ghana,

COPYRIGHT HERBERT M. COLE 1976) usually done at the shrine of a nature spirit. A woman who wants to have shrine: a sacred a baby then ties the akua’ba in the back of her skirt, in the same position place containing altars, where her real baby will later take. She treats the wooden figure like a real child, people go to feeding it, rocking it to sleep, and adorning it with beads or a necklace. After communicate the birth of her child, the mother may give the akua’ba to her daughter to with gods and play with like a doll. More likely though, the woman will return the akua’ba spirits to the shrine of the nature spirit who helped her have the child. An akua’ba is usually in female form. This is because Asante society is matrilineal, meaning that the line of descent is passed from the mother matrilineal: a system of tracing rather than the father. Thus, it is important that a woman have daughters to descent through the females of the family. In Ghana when a king died, he keep her family line going. was not succeeded by his own son, but by the son of his sister. Why does it look this way? The akua’ba reveals Asante ideas of beauty, but in an exaggerated form. A high, oval, flattened forehead, shiny black skin, and a ringed neck are all important beauty features. Mothers gently massage an infant’s skull to get a high, slightly flat forehead. (No real child has a head this thin or this flat.) The rings around the neck represent the fat of a healthy and well-fed child. Notice too that the akua’ba does not look like a child, but rather a young woman. Almost all traditional African art shows people as young adults in the prime of life. R IN G E D N E CK HO LE DETAIL

F A C E D E TA IL Tyrrhenian Sea SPAIN Aegean TURKEY Caspian PORTUGAL Sea GREECE Ionian Sea MALTA SYRIA CYPRUS Mediterranean Sea LEBANON IRAN MOROCCO TUNISIA ISRAEL

JORDAN Canary Islands IRAQ LIBYA ALGERIA Persian Gulf N i SAUDI ARABIA le BAHRAIN R iv e WESTERN S a h a r a D e EGYPT r s e r QATAR SAHARA t U. A. E.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA ver ngo Ri Co UGANDA SAO TOME & PRINCIPE KENYA Sango CONGO RWANDA GABON ZAIRE

BURUNDI

Kongo Indian Ocean TANZANIA

Atlantic Ocean COMOROS

MALAWI MOZAMBIQUE ZAMBIA ANGOLA

MADAGASCAR

ZIMBABWE NAMIBIA

BOTSWANA

SWAZILAND

LESOTHO

SOUTH AFRICA

Standing Female Figure (Akua’ba) Asante group, Ghana Early 20th century Wood 12¼ x 5¾ x 2½ in (31.1 x 14.6 x 6.4 cm) Gift of Gail and Alec Merriam 1995.92.3 I notice. . .

I wonder. . .

Africa Object Information Sheet 7th Grade 7 Antelope Headdress WEST AFRICA

Age: Around 100 years old Size: 1½ feet tall Function: To help grow successful crops

fertility: the The productivity or fertility ability to produce of gardens or farm crops is either children or traditional: In important among traditional crops this discussion, African groups such as the the term Bamana: a Bamana. The Bamana are farmers “traditional” refers group of people to older African who live in the dry grassland region who live in Mali ways of life, Mali: a modern- of Mali called the savanna. The beliefs, art styles, day country Bamana have a special association and religions that in West Africa called Chi Wara that teaches its were in place named after the before the arrival ancient medieval members about growing successful or great influence kingdom crops. Chi means to work or plant, of European and and wara means wild animal. Muslim cultures. This Chi Wara headdress mythological: having to do with a shows a mythological or story or legend passed down through legendary being—a working wild time that helps to explain certain things animal—that taught the Bamana about life how to farm in ancient or legendary times. A headdress like this was tied to a basket worn on the head Masker: a person who wears a mask of a masker. A masker is the or a headdress. In traditional African person who wears a mask or a societies a masker is almost always headdress in a ceremony. During the a man (except among the Mende and related peoples, where women also wear masks). Usually a masker must belong to a special group within the community to gain the right to wear the mask. This photograph shows a reenactment of a Chi Wara masking ceremony from the very early 1900s. (Ca. 1905–1906, Southern

EDMOND FORTIER, PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLECTION, STUDY THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART Bamana country)

masquerade, the masker is no longer a person but is changed into the masquerade: a masking ceremony. spirit represented in the mask—in this case, a “working wild animal spirit.” There are many different parts to a masquerade: the mask, the costume, During the masquerade, the Chi Wara masker represents an antelope, the masker’s movements and words, the leaping and pawing at the ground. The masker’s body is covered with long music, the audience’s participation, and strips of plant fibers. The fibers hanging down from the mask represent the spiritual beliefs. the water necessary for successful crop growth. Young men dance with Chi Wara headdresses when they have finished an initiation to show their new adult status, promising to farm and provide for a family. They may also dance after having contests that determine the best farmer in the group. Masks and headdresses are important art forms in West and Central Africa. They serve many purposes, including teaching, celebrating, and contacting the spirit world. They are ritual objects that are used only by certain people. Usually these people must belong to a special group These young boys are wearing homemade masks of cloth and cardboard. Adults do not in order to allow children in this area to wear wood masks, gain the right as this is seen to violate the ritual nature of the

COPYRIGHT HERBERT M. COLE masks. (Southern Nigeria, 1982) to use these ceremonial objects. Why does it look like this? Rather than making the headdress look like a real antelope, the artist wanted to highlight certain traits of the antelope such as speed, grace, and power. The artist gave this headdress several extra horns that probably symbolized the animal’s strength and power. Tyrrhenian Sea SPAIN Aegean TURKEY Caspian PORTUGAL Sea GREECE Ionian Sea MALTA SYRIA CYPRUS Mediterranean Sea LEBANON IRAN MOROCCO TUNISIA ISRAEL

JORDAN Canary Islands IRAQ LIBYA ALGERIA Persian Gulf N i SAUDI ARABIA le BAHRAIN R iv e WESTERN S a h a r a D e EGYPT r s e r QATAR SAHARA t U. A. E.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA ver ngo Ri Co UGANDA SAO TOME & PRINCIPE KENYA Sango CONGO RWANDA GABON ZAIRE

BURUNDI

Kongo Indian Ocean TANZANIA

Atlantic Ocean COMOROS

MALAWI MOZAMBIQUE ZAMBIA ANGOLA

MADAGASCAR

ZIMBABWE NAMIBIA

BOTSWANA

SWAZILAND

LESOTHO

SOUTH AFRICA

Antelope Headdress (Chi Wara Kun) Bamana, Bamako region, Mali 20th century Wood, brass, iron, and fiber 16¼ x 6¹¹⁄16 x 28¾ in. (41.3 x 17 x 73 cm) Gift of Professor Erle Loran to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco 1991.90 I notice. . .

I wonder. . .

Africa Object Information Sheet 7th Grade 8 Nail and Blade Oath-Taking Figure CENTRAL AFRICA Age: Around 150 to 200 years old Size: 2½ feet tall Function: To finalize a promise or an agreement

Kongo: The Kongo people live along the a group of Atlantic coast and inland from the mouth people who live in Central of the Congo River. During the late 1400s and 1500s, Africa the powerful Kongo kingdom grew even stronger through trade with the Portuguese. However, by the civil war: a war 1800s, civil wars and conflict had broken the kingdom between different into smaller, independent villages. areas of the same To create an object such as this required the skill country or region of two important men in a traditional Kongo traditional: In this discussion, the term “traditional” refers to older African village. First, an artist would carve the ways of life, beliefs, art styles, and figure. At this point, the wooden object religions that were in place before the was considered just a container. arrival or great influence of European and Muslim cultures. Then the carving would be passed on to a ritual expert or priest. This person carefully selected medicine

S T O M A C H W I TH M IR RO R DETAIL N A IL D E TA IL items to give this carving its power. These items could be clay and dirt from graves, crystals, feathers, horns, fibers, beads, resins, and leaves. The powerful items were placed in or tied onto the head and stomach of the figure.

Figures such as this were used in taking oaths. People came before the ROGER BRUSSLES ASSELBERGHS, PHOTOGRAPHER: This photograph from the late 1800s shows an figure and its ritual expert to make promises or finalize an agreement. Nails oath-taking figure posed in front of the house of and blades were inserted in the figure to seal the promise or stir the figure to a ritual expert. Notice the large number of nails action. To identify the oath taker, hair or saliva was placed around the nail or and blades inserted. Each of these represents an oath or an agreement. (Democratic Republic of blade before insertion. This identification allowed the figure (or its spirit) to Congo, 1896) know exactly where to find the oath taker if a promise was broken. Why does it look like this? Notice the way the figure is standing, hands on hips and feet apart. This stance is meant to show the aggressive and powerful nature of the spirit that lives in the image. The spirit stands ready to take on any problem. The figure’s open mouth shows its ability to talk. The tongue sticking out may refer to the oath taker licking the nail prior to its insertion.

M O U T H D E TA IL Tyrrhenian Sea SPAIN Aegean TURKEY Caspian PORTUGAL Sea GREECE Ionian Sea MALTA SYRIA CYPRUS Mediterranean Sea LEBANON IRAN MOROCCO TUNISIA ISRAEL

JORDAN Canary Islands IRAQ LIBYA ALGERIA Persian Gulf N i SAUDI ARABIA le BAHRAIN R iv e WESTERN S a h a r a D e EGYPT r s e r QATAR SAHARA t U. A. E.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA ver ngo Ri Co UGANDA SAO TOME & PRINCIPE KENYA Sango CONGO RWANDA GABON ZAIRE

BURUNDI

Kongo Indian Ocean TANZANIA

Atlantic Ocean COMOROS

MALAWI MOZAMBIQUE ZAMBIA ANGOLA

MADAGASCAR

ZIMBABWE NAMIBIA

BOTSWANA

SWAZILAND

LESOTHO

SOUTH AFRICA

Oath-Taking Figure (Nkisi Nkondi) Kongo, Democratic Republic of the Congo 19th century Wood, textile, bronze, branches, glass, nail, and horn 32½ x 12 in. (82.6 x 30.5 cm) Museum purchase, gift of Mrs. Paul L. Wattis, and the Fine Arts Museum Acquisition Fund 1986.16.1 I notice. . .

I wonder. . .

Africa Object Information Sheet 7th Grade 9 ReliquaryWinged GeniusFigure CENTRAL AFRICA

Age: Around 100 years old Size: 1½ feet tall Function: To protect the bones of an important ancestor

Ancestor worship is central traditional: In to most traditional African this discussion, ancestor religions. Ancestor worship is the term worship: honor giving honor and respect to one’s dead “traditional” refers and reverence relatives. It is based on the belief that a person’s spirit to older African paid to one’s ways of life, deceased lives on in the afterlife and continues to affect living beliefs, art styles, relatives family members and the productivity of farming land. It and religions that ancestor: a is crucial to please the spirits of , because were in place ancestors relative from before the arrival they can influence the gods and help bring forth plentiful whom a person or great influence crops and healthy babies. is descended, of European and usually more Muslim cultures. remote than a grandparent, and usually not named This engraving from the late 1800s shows how a guardian figure would sit atop a reliquary.

The bones of important ancestors were sometimes stored in special containers called reliquaries. This figure, made by theSango people of Sango: a group Gabon, guarded a reliquary and its bones. The attached bundle contains of people who reliquary: live in Gabon powerful medicines and objects to help the figure do its work. a container or shrine in which Gabon: a relics (human Why does it look like this? modern-day bones and other Although the form of this reliquary figure is based on a human body (the country in Central remains) are diamond shape below the head suggests shoulders and arms), it is quite Africa stored

abstract. Faces and bodies in traditional African art abstract: not were not meant to look realistic, because they naturalistic or realistic: usually referred to the unseen world of spirits. realistic representing people and objects as they really appear

F A C E D E TA IL

D IA M O ND D ET AIL Tyrrhenian Sea SPAIN Aegean TURKEY Caspian PORTUGAL Sea GREECE Ionian Sea MALTA SYRIA CYPRUS Mediterranean Sea LEBANON IRAN MOROCCO TUNISIA ISRAEL

JORDAN Canary Islands IRAQ LIBYA ALGERIA Persian Gulf N i SAUDI ARABIA le BAHRAIN R iv e WESTERN S a h a r a D e EGYPT r s e r QATAR SAHARA t U. A. E.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA ver ngo Ri Co UGANDA SAO TOME & PRINCIPE KENYA Sango CONGO RWANDA GABON ZAIRE

BURUNDI

Kongo Indian Ocean TANZANIA

Atlantic Ocean COMOROS

MALAWI MOZAMBIQUE ZAMBIA ANGOLA

MADAGASCAR

ZIMBABWE NAMIBIA

BOTSWANA

SWAZILAND

LESOTHO

SOUTH AFRICA

Reliquary Figure (Mbumba Bwiti) Sango, south-central Gabon Early 20th century Wood, bone, copper, brass, raffia, and pigment 18³⁄8 x 4½ in. (46.7 x 11.4 cm) Gift of Janine and Michael Heymann 1993.91 I notice. . .

I wonder. . .

Africa Object Information Sheet 7th Grade 10 DivinationWinged Genius Bowl WEST AFRICA

Age: Around 100 years old Size: 8 inches tall Function: To discover hidden knowledge through contact with unseen spirits

traditional: In this discussion, the Traditional African religions sought to connect term “traditional” refers to older African our physical world to the unseen supernatural or ways of life, beliefs, art styles, and spirit world. One way to accomplish this was through religions that were in place before the arrival or great influence of European Divination: divination, which is another word for “fortune‑telling.” and Muslim cultures. communication Divination is a process of trying to discover hidden with the spirit knowledge through contact with unseen spirits. People world in order to help people throughout Africa (and around the world) use rituals of Yoruba: a group Nigeria: a divination. Among the Yoruba, who live in Nigeria, of people who modern-day Ifa: a system of the most popular form of divination is called Ifa. A live in Nigeria country in West divination among Yoruba person experiencing bad luck or poor health, Africa the Yoruba of or wondering about going on a journey or starting a West Africa business, might go to an Ifa priest seeking knowledge and advice from the spirits. An Ifa priest must have many years of training to prepare him for his role in interpreting the wisdom of the spirits for his clients. This Ifa priest, Kolawole Oshitola, is performing a divination ceremony for a young mother and her child. Notice the divination bowl by his left knee, the palm nuts in his left hand, and the divination tray (covered in powder) in front of

COPYRIGHT HENRY J. DREWAL him. (Nigeria, 1982) A bowl such as this would have belonged to an Ifa priest about one hundred years ago. Today ceramic divination bowls are more common. Divination bowls are used to store sacred palm nuts. The palm nuts— together with a divination tray and divination powder—are important tools in the divination ceremony. They help the priest to recognize which verses from a complex system of memorized knowledge he should recite to his client. These verses contain the answer to the client’s questions. Why does it look like this? The two kneeling figures, a male and a female, may represent people who have come to the diviner for answers. They support the bowl used to store the palm nuts. They kneel before the spirits with offerings. Here the woman makes an offering in a bowl, and the man offers the music L I A of his drum. T E D M The Yoruba have very specific ideas about how a piece of U R D art should look. They believe a good carving should have ewa, which translates as “beauty” or “well made.” In order to have ewa, a work should 1) be depicted in the middle (not too young, but not too old; not too abstract, but not too realistic), abstract: not realistic: 2) look human but not exactly like any one person in particular, naturalistic or representing realistic people and 3) show the mark of the knife, objects as they 4) reflect the light. really appear If we consider this bowl by Yoruba standards, we can better appreciate and understand its beauty and value. Notice how large the figures’ heads are in relation to the rest of their bodies. To the Yoruba, the head houses one’s character, personality, wisdom, and L

T E potential. An artist will show the D

E C importance of the head by enlarging A F ’S N it in relation to the rest of the body. A M O W Tyrrhenian Sea SPAIN Aegean TURKEY Caspian PORTUGAL Sea GREECE Ionian Sea MALTA SYRIA CYPRUS Mediterranean Sea LEBANON IRAN MOROCCO TUNISIA ISRAEL

JORDAN Canary Islands IRAQ LIBYA ALGERIA Persian Gulf N i SAUDI ARABIA le BAHRAIN R iv e WESTERN S a h a r a D e EGYPT r s e r QATAR SAHARA t U. A. E.

EQUATORIAL GUINEA ver ngo Ri Co UGANDA SAO TOME & PRINCIPE KENYA Sango CONGO RWANDA GABON ZAIRE

BURUNDI

Kongo Indian Ocean TANZANIA

Atlantic Ocean COMOROS

MALAWI MOZAMBIQUE ZAMBIA ANGOLA

MADAGASCAR

ZIMBABWE NAMIBIA

BOTSWANA

SWAZILAND

LESOTHO

SOUTH AFRICA

Divination Bowl Yoruba, Osogbo, southwestern Nigeria Early 20th century Wood, 8¼ x 6½ x 5 in. (21 x 16.5 x 12.7 cm) Museum purchase, Phyllis C. Wattis Fund 1984.5