Gitenga cartwheels into view. Clad in a tight- The abstract nature of Gitenga’s mask speaks to plucked from the Great Blue Turaco (kolomvu), fitting costume of woven, brown raffia and his power and beneficence. This is not a portrait a shy, elusive bird that spends most of its life crowned with a mask made of fiber and of a specific ancestor, but rather, represents in the canopy of the dense Congolese rainforest. feathers, he moves through the crowd in them all through its association with our life- Chosen for Gitenga because of their color and a series of dynamic, athletic movements. sustaining sun. The woven disc of the facial the relative rarity of the bird from which they BIRDS IN AFRICAN ART A benevolent ancestral presence, he appears plane and the white paint found on its surface come, these feathers speak to darkness. Their only at the most important rites and rituals: represent the sun’s shape and light. Equally inclusion sends a powerful message: even in the funerals of local chiefs and the initiation as important is the crown of green and dark times of darkness, the sun is still present and rites that transform boys into men. blue feathers that encircle the face. These were waiting to emerge. Beyond Flight | BIRDS IN AFRICAN ART The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery December 20, 2017–June 17, 2018 Focus object/Center case (Platform labels), page 1 of 2 artist unidentified Gitenga Mask, mid-20th century Pende region, Democratic Republic of the Congo Great Blue Turaco feathers, fiber, wood, pigment, paint purchased as the gift of amy gould and matthew polk, gibson island, maryland, bma 2015.148 Beyond Flight | BIRDS IN AFRICAN ART The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery December 20, 2017–June 17, 2018 Focus object (Center case) Platform labels, page 2 of 2 Crouched in the tall grass of the Nigerian savanna, All masquerades are acts of metamorphosis. During each performance, a Hausa hunter begins to bob his head. He the masked performer must abandon their identity and assume that of the twitches, pecks, and cocks it to the side. Above the mask they dance. The artworks you see here—all of them masks—are vegetation, all that is visible is the movement of the representations of birds. When each is danced, human becomes animal. Some, AND man’s headdress (burtu), a bird decoy made from like the hawk (duho) and rooster (kobiay) masks made by Bwa artists in Burkina the skull of a Ground Hornbill. Here in the wild, Faso, were spiritual creatures associated with specific clans and families. Others, in the moments before a kill, the hunter’s success like the Hausa burtu and Mambila crow mask (nsua-ndua), are more secular is measured by his ability to leave his body and and represent birds that were regular features of village life. All were danced become, for several minutes or hours, like a bird. at important gatherings like funerals and agricultural festivities. Beyond Flight | BIRDS IN AFRICAN ART The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery December 20, 2017–June 17, 2018 Birds and Becoming (Platform labels), page 1 of 4 artist unidentified artist unidentified Hunter’s Bird Decoy Headdress (Burtu), Hornbill Mask, early 20th century early 20th century Nunuma or Nuna region, Burkina Faso Hausa region, Niger or Nigeria Wood, pigment, paint Ground Hornbill skull and beak, wood, gift of robert and nancy nooter, washington, d.c., leather, abrus seeds, glass, feather bma 1985.282 gift of alan wurtzburger, bma 1954.145.107 Beyond Flight | BIRDS IN AFRICAN ART The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery December 20, 2017–June 17, 2018 Birds and Becoming (Platform labels), page 2 of 4 artist unidentified artist unidentified Crow Mask (Nsua-Ndua), early 20th century Hawk Mask (Duho), early to mid-20th century Mambila region, Cameroon Bwa region, Burkina Faso Wood, pigment, paint Wood, pigment, resin gift of barry and toby t. hecht, gift of gilbert and jean jackson, potomac, maryland, bethesda, maryland, bma 1987.146 bma 1995.101 Beyond Flight | BIRDS IN AFRICAN ART The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery December 20, 2017–June 17, 2018 Birds and Becoming (Platform labels), page 3 of 4 artist unidentified Rooster Mask (Kobiay), early to mid-20th century Bwa region (Didiro clan area), Burkina Faso Wood, leather, pigment, paint gift of john clayton davis, alexandria, virginia, bma 1998.596 Beyond Flight | BIRDS IN AFRICAN ART The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery December 20, 2017–June 17, 2018 Birds and Becoming (Platform labels), page 4 of 4 A man opens the door to his The works in this section speak to the ways in which birds beautify daily life home. A woman weaves a skirt across sub-Saharan Africa. None of these pieces carry any deep or symbolic on her loom. A child opens a bowl meaning. They do not represent anything extraordinary. Rather, they are containing their favorite treat. simple, functional objects sculpted to resemble birds. The artists who created AND Three everyday actions. Three them took pride in their work and even sought to make objects that would moments that may occur countless mimic the actions of the birds. Picture how sliding the Dogon door lock back times throughout an individual’s and forth would have resembled the movement of wings. Imagine a woman life. Three household objects made looking up from her weaving to see the head of her loom pulley bob up and more beautiful by birds. down. Envision a family sitting down to dinner in much the same position as the birds featured on the Mossi container. Works like these delighted their owners and enlivened the most commonplace of routines. Beyond Flight | BIRDS IN AFRICAN ART The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery December 20, 2017–June 17, 2018 Birds and Beauty (Case labels), page 1 of 3 artist unidentified artist unidentified Lidded Vessel with Birds, mid-20th century Heddle Pulley, late 19th– early 20th century Mossi region, Burkina Faso Senufo region, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso or Mali Clay Wood gift of robert s. zigler, washington, d.c., bma 1994.248 anonymous gift, bma 1995.138 Beyond Flight | BIRDS IN AFRICAN ART The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery December 20, 2017–June 17, 2018 Birds and Beauty (Case labels), page 2 of 3 artist unidentified artist unidentified Heddle Pulley, early 20th century Door Lock, 20th century Senufo region, Côte d’Ivoire Dogon region, Mali Wood, fiber Wood, iron anonymous gift, bma 1998.363 bequest of doris s. rief, baltimore, bma 2012.263 Beyond Flight | BIRDS IN AFRICAN ART The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery December 20, 2017–June 17, 2018 Birds and Beauty (Case labels), page 3 of 3 Standing on the sunbaked savannas of western Uganda, Across Africa, feathers have been used to enhance a Karamojong elder cuts a striking profile. Dressed to the the appearance of people with wealth and status. Many nines, he has adorned himself with beaded jewelry and iron pieces, like the Karamojong etimat or Cameroonian weaponry as a sign of his seniority. In a nomadic society prestige hat, incorporate feathers from large, rare, AND such as his, marks of prestige are most frequently worn or hard-to-capture birds. The time and skill required or displayed on the body. The most striking feature of his to capture these creatures correspond to the importance appearance, however, is the vibrant, removable cap (etimat) of the men and women who wear their plumage. that he wears on the back of his head. Made from mud and Other works incorporate feathers from birds with human hair, it is painted in electric green, orange, and blue spiritual significance. This Luba diviner’s hat (nkaka), and prominently features the feathers of an ostrich. A large for instance, features chicken feathers, a frequently and important bird for a large and important man. sacrificed bird in this central African society. Beyond Flight | BIRDS IN AFRICAN ART The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery December 20, 2017–June 17, 2018 Birds and Power (Case labels), page 1 of 3 artist unidentified artist unidentified Man’s Prestige Hat, early 20th century Diviner’s Headdress (Nkaka), 20th century Grasslands region, Cameroon Luba region, Democratic Republic of the Congo Fiber, feathers Fibers, feathers, glass beads, pigment, cowrie shells gift of ed decarbo, new york, bma 2012.69 gift of ed decarbo, new york, bma 2012.71 Beyond Flight | BIRDS IN AFRICAN ART The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery December 20, 2017–June 17, 2018 Birds and Power (Case labels), page 2 of 3 artist unidentified Men’s Headdress (Etimat), 1950s – 1980s Karamojong region, Uganda Hair, dry mud, pigment, feathers, fiber, metal, glass beads gift of jonathan and ellen maltz, brookeville, maryland, bma 2013.323 Beyond Flight | BIRDS IN AFRICAN ART The Baltimore Museum of Art, African Focus Gallery December 20, 2017–June 17, 2018 Birds and Power (Case labels), page 3 of 3 Deep in the central African savanna, traditions is waning. The sculptor knows Some masks, such as those seen in the case a Luba carver sits with his tools. He he has more creative liberty. The result is to your right, are danced in ceremonies that has been asked to sculpt a mask a human-owl hybrid that retains the color attempt to mimic or bring forth the spirit of birds. (kifwebe) for an upcoming festival and patterns and humanoid head of traditional Others, like those seen here, use avian imagery to AND is contemplating how to proceed. In bifwebe masks, but incorporates the hooked represent broader religious beliefs or societal ideas.