WHAT DO THE COLOUR WHITE AND IVORY HAVE IN COMMON? In the Edo culture, the colour white has a very important symbolic meaning. It is a colour associated with ritual purity (freedom from contamination) and is also associated with Olokun. Olokun is the name for the god of the sea,
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The Ivory Vessels of the Yoruba Owo Kings
THE HISTORY OF THE YORUBA OWO KINGDOM In the 18th Century, modern day southern Nigeria was known as the Yoruba kingdom of Owo. The Owo became powerful through multiple factors. The two most important reasons are trade and conquest (when one community takes control over another community through military force).
The Head Of The Great Bieri
WHAT IS BIERI? In the , wooden sculptures are made for the cult (a group of people who all believe deeply in the same thing, person, or ideal) worshipping ancestors, called the Bieri. These sculptures look like human people. The Fang tribe is from Gabon, which is on the coast
The History of Gold-Weights in Ghana
Gold-weights are weights used to measure how much gold someone is selling you and therefore how much gold you are buying.
The Rattle Staffs of Southern Nigeria
WHAT ARE RATTLE STAFFS? Rattle staffs are called ukhurhe and are found in the Benin kingdom of Southern Nigeria. The ukhurhe are used to memorialize people who have died. They are often hung with an altar (a raised flat surface used as the focus for a religious ritual to remember
The Tsesah Crests of the Bamileke People (Cameroon)
Knowing about the artforms that belong to a culture different from ours is a privilege, because we see what is important to different people. It teaches us about what is important to them, what they find beautiful, and what they care about. ORIGIN In the 1700s, the North West Grasslands
The Memorial Portraits of the Akan people (Ghana)
In the second half of the 1500s in Ghana, the Akan people created clay sculptures of heads. These sculptures, made by women, would be used to remember the dead. Ordinary people and royalty would use this method of remembrance. During certain parts of the year, prayers and offerings would be
Nkisi Nkondi: the Power Figure of the Kongo people
A Power Figure is an object used by the Kongo People. It is used for many purposes and is believed to activate spiritual powers. The Power Figures of the Kongo people are made of wood. Power figures are usually easy to recognize because they have many sharp objects stuck into
The healing scrolls of Ethiopia
HOW IS A HEALING SCROLL MADE ? A däbtära, or unordained cleric (someone who is training to be a priest or religious leader, but has not yet been officially made one by the church) makes a healing scroll. Often, the skin of an animal is used that has been sacrificed
The miniature masks of the Dan people
The miniature masks are crafted by the Dan people of the Ivory Coast and Liberia and are made of wood. They are too small to wear on your face because they are 6-20cm high. The most common kind of mask is one with thin eyes and it looks like a