More Art From Africa by wysiwig

Photography • Collage • posted on Jul 16, 2010

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Description

As promised, four more from Africa. Image 5: Senufo Kpelie Mask, Ivory Coast "Kpelie" masks like this are used in dances during funeral ceremonies of elder members of the secret man's society known as "Poro." The Poro, which is an important social force for numerous West African societies, regulates most of the ceremonial and religious activities in the village, and is thus a unifying, if somewhat strict, source of order and discipline. Image 6: Another mask from the Pende tribe of Western Democratic Republic of Congo. Image 7: Punu Mask, Gabon The mask represents the spirit of an ancestor and is commonly found throughout western and central Gabon. The white face represents the soul of an ancestor. The beautiful hairstyle is a common feature among the Punu women. In some cases scarification on foreheads are clearly visible. Image 8: Ebony* Ujamaa 'Tree of Life', Makonde, Tanzania The word ujamaa has many meanings - brotherhood, cooperation, family, or togetherness. The meaning in the context of the carvings is clear: from one block of wood comes the unity of the family, society and ancestors. The central figure is usually a mother surrounded by many clinging children. This theme has its roots in the creation myth of the Makonde, in which a woman was the first human ancestor. Some of these trees can be truly elaborate. This one, though nice, was all I could afford at the time. *Ebony is known more accurately in Swahili as mpingo.

Comments (13)

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Faemike55

12:09AM | Fri, 16 July 2010

Wonderful images and great information. Most of the original creation myths involve the Mother figure, Mut, etc. Thanks for sharing

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myrrhluz

12:40AM | Fri, 16 July 2010

Excellent images and information! Once again it is wonderful to see them and then read about them. Have you read "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe? There are some critical scenes in it highlighting the importance of masks in the ceremonies and life of the village in the story. I like the figure and the meaning behind it. Beautiful art, nicely presented!

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