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Mgbakoigba, Journal of African Studies. Vol. 8, No. 1. June 2019 SIGNIFICANCE OF ANIMAL MOTIFS IN INDIGENOUS ULI BODY AND WALL PAINTINGS… Nkiruka Jane Uju Nwafor SIGNIFICANCE OF ANIMAL MOTIFS IN INDIGENOUS ULI BODY AND WALL PAINTINGS Nkiruka Jane Uju Nwafor Department of Fine and Applied Arts Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. [email protected] This article explores the significance of animal motifs in traditional Uli body and wall paintings. A critical assessment and understanding of the philosophical import of animals in African concept of existence is vital for an in-depth appreciation of their (animals’) symbols in indigenous African artworks. This paper attempts to a draw parallel between traditional beliefs concerning certain animals among the Igbo of south-eastern Nigeria and motifs derived from indigenous Uli body and wall painting. In essence, the article sees animal motifs in Uli body and wall paintings as playing an aesthetic as well as metaphysical roles. Hence I argue that local nuances of religiosity and spirituality have historically imbued the animals with a heightened sense of sacredness in some Igbo communities thus allowing the animals to occupy a mystical space in Igbo cosmology. Introduction The pre-colonial system of knowledge transmission in Africa was not only through oral literature but also through the varied artistic traditions that survived from one generation to the other. The rich heritage of ancient Egyptian arts (including the hieroglyphs), the numerous Neolithic rock paintings and engravings found in Northern Africa, which dates back to 5000 and 2000 BCE respectively were mainly symbolic of vital occurrences of the past, documented through art (Getlein 2002: 335). These rock engravings and paintings were mostly depictions of domestic and wild animals hunted by humans or animals thought to have spiritual relevance to the cultures that existed at that period. Some of the animals include cattle, antelope, birds, and other wild beasts that have become extinct. As Smith (2010:1) submits, the enormous mix of intricate symbols, patterns and designs attributed to traditional African forms served as highly codified linguistic signs in the absence of written word. It was “the linguistic symbols commonly used for recording the history of remarkable events, the deeds of great kings, celebrations, births and deaths, and extraordinary occurrences” (Ibid). These stylized symbols are evidenced in some of the artistic objects excavated in sites across Nigeria such as Nok, Igbo-Ukwu and Ife, which aided in appreciating the cultures that existed in these areas in the past. Classical African sculptures and other cultural materials are sometimes engraved with designs and symbols inspired by animals, exotic trees and leaves, human beings, as well as war and household implements. For that reason the materialization of abstract designs and motifs on their art forms, 117 Mgbakoigba, Journal of African Studies. Vol. 8, No. 1. June 2019 SIGNIFICANCE OF ANIMAL MOTIFS IN INDIGENOUS ULI BODY AND WALL PAINTINGS… Nkiruka Jane Uju Nwafor placed a strong emphasis on the inter-relationship between humans, plants and animals and their place within Africans’ indigenous social systems and religious beliefs. A critical assessment and understanding of the essentiality of ‘nature’ in African concept of existence is vital for an in-depth appreciation animal symbols or motifs depicted on indigenous African artworks. Using motifs derived from Uli traditional body and wall painting as a point of reference, this paper attempts to make connections between the traditional belief systems concerning animals in Africa generally, but with specific reference to the Igbo of south- eastern part of Nigeria, where the artistic tradition of Uli emanated from. In essence, the essay explores the significance of animals in Igbo cosmology as evidenced in Uli aesthetics. I aim to identify the animal motifs in Uli body and wall paintings following the motifs Liz Willis compiled in her essay “A Lexicon of Igbo Uli Motifs” that was published in June, 1987, in Nsukka Journal of the Humanities. I attempt to determine what these animals signify in Igbo world view while identifying certain animals considered sacred in some Igbo communities. Animals in African cosmology Animals considered sacred, in various parts of Africa, embody spiritual powers or extra- ordinary capabilities. Thus, they are highly valued and reverenced in their place in nature. These animals, depicted symbolically on various spaces – both two-dimensional and three-dimensional – were of religious and aesthetic relevance to Africans. Ben-Amos (1976:243) has argued that, “in particular artistic contexts, specific animals are utilized to express notions of order and harmony in the universe and the power – both political and supernatural – that obtains when this order is violated.” In his study of the indigenous worldview of the people of Northern Ghana and the Shona of Zimbabwe, David Millar also suggests that, there is usually a “hierarchy between divine beings, spiritual beings, especially the ancestors, men and women and the natural forces, such as climate, disease, floods, soil, vegetation and animals (Ibid).” Millar’s inclusion of “vegetation and animals” also points to their relevance within these groups. They are all interrelated and as such have their specific position within the sacred ‘nature.’ Reiterating similar assertions, Ben-Amos pointed out that Benin cosmology ascribes all beings to their particularized realms and within each of these realms or domains, associations are “hierarchical and orderly” (Ibid). She states thus: all beings are assigned to specific spheres or domains, some of which are geographical (such as dry lands and great waters), others are existential (the spirit world and the world of daily life) or temporal (day and night). Within each of these domains relationships are hierarchical and orderly. The social structure parallels the human division into noble and commoner classes, and specific roles are recognized such as king, warrior, magician, and even spy. Order within each realm is maintained by each member’s acceptance of his station in life and by following the laws of his intrinsic nature. …. The ontological distinction between men and animals is expressed symbolically in art, myth, and ritual in the contrast between their respective spheres of activities – the home (the social world of the village) versus the bush (the wild forest areas) (Ibid). Allen Roberts, in his book Animals in African Art, maintains that the more an animal stimulates thought and evokes feelings, the more frequently it appears in African visual arts 118 Mgbakoigba, Journal of African Studies. Vol. 8, No. 1. June 2019 SIGNIFICANCE OF ANIMAL MOTIFS IN INDIGENOUS ULI BODY AND WALL PAINTINGS… Nkiruka Jane Uju Nwafor (1996:6). For instance, designs or motifs on traditional African masks were sometimes reflective of abstracted or exaggerated features of animal forms. The aim of abstracting or distorting the features of the masks was to serve as a symbolic reference to the essence of the whole. This invariably is an attributive element of traditional African art, which many African art historians perceive as being conceptual as against being perceptual. A typical example is the Bamana Ci Wara masks. The Bamako people of Mali believe that Ci Wara assisted their ancestors in learning the skill of farming. As Werness (2003:1) points out, “the Bamana consider some animals that dig and ‘cultivate’ to be human, especially the aardvark, [antelope] and the pangolin. Young men don, composite masks and by becoming ‘human-animals’ learn the secrets of the earth known to the animals. The masks if worn on the head, during farming and harvest festivities, represent mythical beings that have the ability to dig up the soil. In this context, the three animals that usually burrow or bore holes into the soil symbolically represent the perseverance attributed to successful farming – from clearing, ploughing, planting and harvesting seasons, which the Bamana farmers internalize in order to become successful farmers. Thus, Chi Wara mask typifies the relevance of animals to the social wellbeing of a particular cultural group and consequently to their art. Other instances of animal symbolism in African masks are illustrated in the Buffalo masks among the Twaba of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia1. and the elephant mask worn by the Kuosi society of the Bamileke people of Cameroon.2 Ben-Amos (1976) also referred to some animals in her essay titled Men and Animals in Benin Art such as the leopard, elephant, python, crocodile and the vulturine fish eagle that are believed to be dangerous, as symbolic of leadership and political power. Ben-Amos states thus, “their [the animals’] representations appear on a variety of objects cast in brass, sewn on leather, and carved in wood and ivory, which function in the commemoration of royal achievements and the aesthetic enhancement of status.” Against the backdrop of the place of animal symbolism in African cosmology lays the realisation that the animal motifs that characterize uli traditional wall and body painting refer to the value that the Igbo attribute to certain animals. Though its connection to the cultural relevance of certain animals in Igbo worldview is often apparent, most literatures on uli art focused on the aesthetic appeal the motifs portend, and how modern Nigerian artists have drawn inspirations and designs for their art by incorporating uli motifs.

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