African Art Exam #2
Rhythm Pounders Purpose
A big pair (male and female - can be seen through the females large breasts) The romans body is actually larger and more dominant than the mans. The man is only the equal size because of his large headdress and large pedestal. However, the pair was meant to be even, equal, balanced, their shoulder meet. Poro Society is their religion that this sculpture is based on. One way to pray to the ancestors from the poro religion is to make a lot of noise, that is what the rhythm pounders do. A Senufo man would pick up these and pound them on the ground as hard and as fast as he could. by doing so, he is thought to be waking up the ancestors. These are messages. A chameleon is present on the mans headdress as well as the females side of her cap. Also present is the resemblance of the hornbill bird through the arches such as the breasts and jawline. Female has cross scarification on her stomach alluding to fertility, indicating where the baby would be. The woman is also holding a rattle which is essential to making noise and connecting to the ancestors. They are spiritual, they have no feet and they are raised up. The headdress the male is wearing is also the headdress that a priest from the Poro society would wear
Ndop Purpose
A brown wood and is very shiny. It is a seated sculpture/portrait of the King. Holding a knife to the back, not coming to attack, just a warrior, approaching with pace. He is seated and raised which show his spirituality and royalty. The weapons illustrate his power and his authority as a warrior and a leader. He is very calm. He has slit eyes that imply meditation and has a calm presence. He is a powerful spiritual presence. Not scarification on his belly but is wearing a cowry belt. Cowry os associated with royalty and wealth. Wearing this belt is almost like having a crown. it is the belt that only the king can wear. He is also wearing cowry arm bands on his upper arms. They are very symmetrical and even. Symmetry represent balance and understanding balance helps to understand the world and the way in which it functions. There are also cowry shells located on the headdress. This king is known for a particular spiritual and religious game that priests play to connect with the spirit world. Pictured is a board game in front of the king. This king has the look of being in his middle age. He has a bit of a belly which shows he is well fed and nourished and taken care of. He is considered an elder. He is seen as a leader who is mature but not old. This is also used to represent the kings presence while one of his wives are giving birth. Essentially, while the king is alive, he can inhibit this statue with his presence. This statue are also disposed of once the king dies.
Bocio Information
Adede, Fon culture, republic of benin
Akuaba Doll Information
Asante, Ghana
Asante King With Golden Stool Information
Asante, Ghana
Golden Stool Information
Asante, Ghana
Kente Cloth Information
Asante, Ghana
Linguists Staff Information
Asante, Ghana
D'MBA Mask Information
Baga Culture, Guinea
Pair of Figures Information
Baule, Ivory Coast
Spirit Spouse Information
Baule, Ivory Coast
Head of Queen Mother Information
Benin, Nigeria
Plaque Information
Benin, Nigeria
Queen Mother Pendant Information
Benin, Nigeria
altar of the oba information
Benin, nigeria
Hawk and Plank Mask information
Bwa Culture, Burinko Faso
Do Gras Mask (in performance) information
Bwa Culture, Burkino Faso
Kuba Cloth purpose
Can be used as clothing, wrapped around and tied wit cowry belt. Can be used to sit on over a chair or laid on the ground and sitting on the cloth. If you are sitting on a cloth that is on a chair, it shows you are too royal and too significant to sit on a plain chair. These are made collaboratively by men and women. The men create the base of the cloth and the women then take it and embroider a design on top of it. Essentially made for royalty. You'll never find two that are the same because they are hand woven and each women puts a little spin on the design.
Reliquary Figure Information
Fang, Gabon, Wood
Bocio #2 Information
Fon culture, republic of benin, Kendo
Asante King With Golden Stool Purpose
He is seated and is feet are off of the floor. Seated with your feet up are distinct of a spirit. He is a living spirit who is connected to the ancestors in a way that no one else can. He is wearing a crown that no one else is. This is elaborate head gear. He also wearing a lot of gold. His flip flops even have a sheet of gold. He is walking on gold. He also has fat gold on each finger. Not the king of Ghana but the king of their culture. He is an ethnic figure head. He is very wealthy and is the CEO of a lot of gold companies which is why he has so much gold. He has many attendants surrounding him. He is chubby because he has the lifestyle and the money to feed himself and be healthy and well fedThe king should always look prosperous and well fed and nourished and well taken care of because he is a god. The gold is supposed to make all of the Asante people wealthy. The kingship is passed down from father to first son. This is one of the oldest bloodlines in the world.
Bocio #2 Purpose
Holding a sword behind his head and holding another massive sword outward. he repents the king as if the king is going out to fight as a powerful warrior. wearing an animal hyde armor as a tunic which was used to protect. It has a turtle neck to protect the neck. He is wearing a strange hat that warriors did not wear. the hat has any things on top protruding toward with a chain hanging down that holds a cow bell. this is a hat that a diviner would wear and therefor identifies him as a king because he is a diviner as well as a god. The bell is to wake up the ancestors. the things on the top of the hat are religious emblems and symbols of the fon faith the show him as a significant religious figure. This motivates the troops that their king is so great and they are strong and they will be victorious.
Figure of an Oni Information
Ife, Nigeria
Head Information
Ife, Nigeria
Kota Reliquary Information
Kota, Gabon, metal
Ndop Information
Kuba culture, DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo)
Kuba Cloth information
Kuba culture, DRC (democratic Republic of Congo)
Nowo Masquerader with attendants infomration
Mende Culture, sierra Leone
Queen Mother Pendant
Mother of King Esigie. He was the most wealthy and most powerful of all the Benin kings. He traded the most with the Portuguese through slaves and ivory and textiles etc. He asked Portuguese to provide him with soldiers to fight off neighboring groups that were not a fan of his. His mother was one of the soldiers who went out to battle and fought with the Portuguese. She was a powerful warrior and that is who is represented in this ivory pendant. Her name is Idia. They won, defeated their enemies, gained more wealth, more power and more land. She is really the reason that the queen mother is so valued and praised. This is carved in ivory and is pretty small and is meant to be worn and hung off of a belt, worn by the king. there are only two in existence. The headdress has Portuguese men with really large mustaches that go into mudfish. Mudfish are very powerful because they can exist in both realms and the Portuguese were ind of looked at as the same because they got their by boat and were thought to be able to exist in both realms, and and water. These figures are also present on her necklace.
Iyoba
Mother of the king (benin culture)
Yoruba King With Beaded Crown Purpose
Needs to have beads that cover his face. Go down and loop, They completely protect his face, him against evil and you so that you re not overpowerd by the power of his head when you come to see him. he is also wearing a cown that is covered in glass beads. Color is very important. A lot of yellow, green , he is holding his staff of office. The colors symbolize different gods. Green and yellow is associated with the king because it is the color of the god Eshu. Esau Is the messenger god. he takes messages between this world and the world of the ancestors and the gods. The king is a lot like Eshu because he is both human and both spirit. there are also birds referenced in the headdress and the birds can fly and soar to where the ancestors are and also represent what EShu and the king do. It all symbolizes the connection between the spirit world and the king and people. Beads are used because they re very valuable and are beautiful commodities.
Information of Divination Bowl
Olowe Of Ise, Yoruba, Nigeria
Poro Society
Senufo Religion - connection between the ancestors and human beings
Champion Cultivators Staff Information
Senufo, Ivory Coast
Poro Society Crocodile Mask Information
Senufo, Ivory Coast
beautiful Lady Mask (In performance) Information
Senufo, Ivory Coast
Rhythm pounders information
Senufo, ivory coast
Akuaba Doll Purpose
Small and portable dolls. They are made of wood. This is something you would hold and take with you. She has no legs and now feet. She has a super long neck and stumps for arms. She has scarification patterns, breast and a huge round head. Slight symbol of fertility. She has no arms or legs, she just has breasts and a large abdomen to say all she needs are the areas of the body that can foster a baby. her head is so big because the head is the seat of the soul. This is where the power is in the body. The neck is the pedestal for the head. eyes are slit, meditating. This object is looked at to pray towards for fertility. Women will ask an artist to create an akuaba so that they can pray to this doll at home and take care of it as a child. The more attention that is given, the more likely you are to get pregnant.
Spirit Spouse Purpose
Symbol of fertility. Major scarification patterns. A lot of allusion to her belly. She has large draw out breasts. She has wide and rounded hips. Everything about her is rounded. her head is an oval, her hips and breast make this oval shape. The baby on her back also has a chunky oval baby leg. Her calves are oval. Her hairstyle is even an oval. gone through stages where she has had these cuts to her body to show how significant and important she is. The more scars the more powerful. for example if you are wife of king or diviner, she would have ALOT of scars. scars indicate where in life you are and the ranking in society. She is seated on a stool, highly decorated and her feet are not touching the ground. She is clearly a spirit. She symbolizes the wife. is thought that every baule person that is born has a mate in the spiritual world. You have someone you are married to already at birth who is a spirit, called a spirit spouse. You have to honor the spirit spouse by been a good spouse to your real spouse as well as to yourself. IF things are bad for you in life, it is because you haven't been good and your spirit spouse is pushing you. You then go to the diviner and tell them and then go to an artist and ask them to carve you this statue and you now have to honor and take care of the physical statue to turn your life around and for instance give you a better harvest. You only get a carving if you have done wrong and not honored your spirit spouse to begin with. She is the perfect embodiment of a baule female woman. She is beautiful, fertile and seating and raised.
Bocio Purpose
The Fon culture believed that they could have a statue of the king carved that stands for the military power of the king and that is what a bocio is. it is a stand in strong military leaders of the king. This statue is a fighter, it is a warrior. Originally, this statue would have had really big weapons in his hand which this statue is missing. a really long spear in one hand and a long knife in the other hand. Bocios are always a figure in battle or fighting. This is a half man, half lion. very unrealistic, kind of cartoonish. This statue was created as gelele, meant to be an image of the king. Gayly as a fighter. He is wearing cur off pants that often fon soldiers would have worn. He is wearing the gear. this was commissioned by an artist to make the king look fierce and as a warrior. This was brought to battle and carried by the soldiers, and it is a way to psych out the opposing force, sacred them. the opponent was looking at the power of the king. The bocio then goes to the winner, this one went to paris because they were defeated by the french.
Linguists Staff Purpose
The staff of the people who know many languages and studies them. It was someone who can advise the king if there was another king from a neighboring kingdom and they needed to speak. Their staff is their main object that identifies them. One advisor will have many different staffs. Base of wood covered with gold. these staffs tell a deep story. They will come to the king when he has a problem and they will choose which staff to bring to teach the king bout whichever problem he is having. Supposed to teach that this power is yours and no one has the right to take it away. The food is for the owner not for the poor.
Divination Bowl Purpose
They're nude except they have belts on. They have a headdress on. The women have beaded hair, there is one woman who have large breasts that hang low and allude to breast feeding. They are all very obviously naked as seen through the women breasts The men are all nude and have very large erect penis'. Large arms, off proportions. This is the bowl of the diviner, the priest. this is owned and used by the priests, used for divining. The bowl is one of the most important objects that are owned. The wife takes care of the things though so thats why the woman is holding the bowl and the wife gives it power. Women give life and hold power to give life which is why she gives power. She is the largest figure in the composition. her neck is extremely, abnormally long and extended up. When the lid is off, she is looking down and gazing upon what is going on in the bowl. So when the priest is mixing his materials for the ritual in the bowl, she is watching over it.
Hawk and Plank Mask Purpose
This is a mask that always appears in pairs. This is a composite mask between a human and a bird. A hornbill bill can be pictured. The reason a bird is sacred and used in this mask is because birds can fly and soar to where the sports are and where the ancestors live. These masks are mainly used during the dry season, when reaping and seeing are not going on. This mask mainly comes out of the bush for boy and girl ceremony. The mask leads the coming home celebration parade when the initiates are done and ready to come. The parade begins at the end of the bush, the beginning of the village, and leads them all the way to the center of the town. These masks can also be used for funerals to lead the funeral procession the same way as the invitation from the end of the bush, beginning of the village to the center of the town where they will then dance to celebrate. These masks also will dance in the market to bring upon a positive energy that people will be able to sell their crops. These masks are individually own by families. each family has two of their own personal masks to use for their familial funerals or their children's imitations. the masks are painted with red, white and black paint which is symbolic. black = elders and knowledge, red = blood from hunter and menstrual blood from a woman and white means younger phases of life, spirits. Almost all of these masks are exactly alike. The only thing that is different are the patterns. the patterns are not random. they are a language that only elders can read. The imitates learn to read it from the priests before they can be initiated, they now know what the mask is speaking about. zig zag = mountains and valleys of life, the ups and downs the good and the bad. The priests are the creators of this mask. the structure is the same, circle on bottom which is symbolic of the circle of life, in the middle are the zig zags and the valleys, the terrain of life and on top is the crescent moon.
Champion Cultivators Staff Purpose
This is a wooden sculpture is attached to a long pole. Where the sculpture is is called the finial. Pictured is a woman who is a symbol of fertility. She has long drawn out breasts as well as a pregnant stomach. She is seated = spirituality and royalty. She as well as the seat itself which she is upon are raised, her feet are dangling which also alludes to her spirituality and shows that she is very significant. She has an animal mask upon her head. The mask resembles a hornbill bird which is native to this part of Africa. This is a large and powerful bird. Also pictured is a chameleon. These are two sacred animals with magical qualities. Chameleons can change color and the birds can fly to where the ancestors are, where the spirits live. They worship these spiritual beings. Her head is arched just like her headdress. Her scarification patterns indicate the ones an elder would have, implying she is an elder and has gone through initiations. She has rounded hips, breasts, head, stomach, butt, thighs and even rounded scarifications which are common stylistic characteristics of the senufo. She is a tough protective mother. What this staff is is a prize or a trophy that a young man hopes to win during his second initiation. During this initiation men learn to farm and after the initiation there is a a big celebration and part of the celebration is when the priests takes the young men to a field and they compete such as "who can sew these seeds the fastest." The man who wins, gets the title and staff as champion farmer, however, the staff always stays with the priests and is past from winner to winner each year.
Poro Society Crocodile Mask Purpose
This is the mask used during the third initiation into elders. This is a very secretive society and this mask is extremely powerful. This is an example of a composite mask. This is kept by a priest and is also a judiciary mask and brings justice. This mask is always danced in a pairs, however, the pair does not have to be identical. When danced the people dancing are also holding weapons. They come out to give public beatings and can come out in the day as well as the nighttime. This has antelope horns which is powerful as well as chameleons on top Elongated crocodile shape. Much more meticulous in detail. More realistic. Rounded head and faces towards the sky so the spirits can see it. They do come out at night at funerals and represent the elders. They wrap the deceased body in textiles and jump and dance on it and break its bones over and over again hoping the spirit will be released and come out of the body and leave the village and go into the spirit world with the ancestors.
Eshu Dance Wand Information
Yoruba, Nigeria
Yoruba King With Beaded Crown Information
Yoruba, Nigeria
Plaque of benin Oba Purpose
a plaque of the king swinging two leopards around (shows power of the king) he is dead center. he is decorated with beads and necklaces and a beaded dress. he has the idealized benin face. a way that this king always identified himself is that he has mudfish as feet. Mudfish can survive in two realms (water and in the mud) and that is considered miraculous and in the eyes of the benin people an animal that can go from water to the land is powerful so this king associated himself with surviving in two realms and the power that the mudfish holds. this is the god OHEN who was paralyzed in his legs. and because he has legs of a mudfish, he is connected to Olokun who is the god of the water who symbol is the mudfish. made of bronze
Plaque of benin Oba information
benin, Nigeria
Royal Head information
benin, Nigeria
Royal head purpose
can also be called head of oba or head of king. This is hollow inside and that is how the tusks could come out of the head. this is an early style of the head. the headdress is smaller and you can see a basic scarification pattern on the forehead. this is a bronze head that is located on the altar. the tusk in this head, however was removed and to be sold it was stolen.
Reliquary Figure purpose
carved piece of wood that sits upon a round box, a cylinder. This wooden figure is attached to a long piece of wood which would help stabilize this figure as it sits on the box. Tradition is to keep the heads of the death within the family. After the body is temporarily buried and turned to bone, the skull is taken and put into this box and it is the families job to create the box (the reliquary) as well as the statue that sits upon it. There are often several of these together that are watched over by priests. When the family wants to visit the deceased they will come to the cylinder, take the skull out and shine it with oil (anoint it) pray to them and speak to them with the soul set on the ground. It is a very sacred and significant thing because they are very directly holding the bones and there is an extreme connection by actually having a piece of them. These figures come in many different shapes and sizes. Some of them are male but most of them are female. This one is a female, Can be seen from her stomach (her super pronounced belly button) as well as her breasts. She is very muscular in her legs but especially her arms. She also has super broad shoulders and a thicker neck. She has a softer facial look (other than her mouth) her eyes are slit, she is kind of meditating. It resembles a warrior meditation that she is meditating to protect. This figure is also protecting the relic inside and is therefore meditating. She is a spirit (she is raised) Protecting the skulls of dead ancestors and anything that connects you to you spirit world and ancestors has a lot of supernatural power and therefore needs to be protected by this guardian figure. She is also super shiny from palm oil, just like the nowo masquerader. shiner and darker = more beauty. The shininess is also to deflect anything negative away from the relic. Fertility is also important to continue the legacy of this family. Re-born, more abundance within the family.
Head of Queen Mother Purpose
coral beds wrapped around the neck. coned upward hairstyle with coral beads all in there hair. this is one of the heads on the separate altar that belongs to the queen mother. this is commissioned by the king and this altar is dedicated to her. This is where the king will go to worship his living mother. when the king becomes king, the mother must leave the palace and the king must build her her own palace with her own servants. Being the queen mother is a very important position and she has a great deal of authority and is the kings main advisor. This also holds the ivory elephant tusk. This is also made of bronze because she is royalty. She is always shown looking like the king because if you look like the king, you have the power of the king. The only defining characteristic is her headdress
Yorbua
highly sexualized and doll like
Oni =
king
oba
king
altar of the oba purpose
located in kings courtyard. this where the king can go to pray within his home. it is very important what is placed on the altar. This is an ancestral altar. This is a male altar where you would go and pray to the male ancestor spirits that were all once king. They are represented by bronze heads which big elephant tusks coming right out of their head. each of these are portraits of past kings. this is made of bronze which is thought to be the material of the royal court and an be only used for the heads of the kings and things within the palace. the tusk is carved with narrative and visual stories that tell about that type of king. there are also bronze bells that are used to wake up the ancestors. the tusks represent the male elephants power and that it is difficult to get that and it means power. the king who is worshiping has a sculpture in the middle of a king sitting with his attendants, this represents him, the man who is praying.
Pair of Figures Purpose
male and a female which can be seen through their genitalia. they are very balanced, they are very even. Their faces are identical. they have different things on their heads. They are both standing on a pedestal. slightly different in size but only due to their head gear. Rounded oval shapes are a common stylistic characteristic. These are statues and symbolize balance and marriage, even the balance of roles between male and female. They are perfect ideal spirits. They are meant to be in a place of prayer. Their eyes are praying. They are both holding their bellies, where the baby would be. He has a large penis which is also a reference to fertility. They are prayed to by priests to help create balance in the world so that things will go well.
Benin god of the water
olokun
Head Purpose
one powerful male leader which is assumed to be the king. Is it really the same person? Or, is it the idealized depiction of a king just like the pahraos. highly realistic, made of bronze. Just a head not a full body, the head is the seat of the soul, that is where all of the power is. Highly realistic, there is no abstraction, it is a real portrait, it is also human size. There is no headdress, no attention to detail to the hair, so, cold he be wearing a cap? almost No expression, very neutral. very even lines, intensely even across the entire face, could be scarification but it could also be a veil covering because in this culture, even today, the kings wear a beaded crown that covered their face. it is very important to cover the face of the king. The king is so powerful, he is like a god, his face and his head hold so much power it needs to be covered. If it is not covered he does not have a barrier from evil or he has too much power it could hurt you.
Baule Art
oval shapes
Senufo
rounded and arched shapes
Kota Reliquary Purpose
sheets of copper. Abstract figure. Eyes are super vide open and awake. The diamond indicates that this is the vagina of the female such as in the tyi wara mask. Most of the statue is her hairstyle, the top as well as the arches sticking out on the side are her hairstyle. copper is used as a metallic shiny surface to reflect away from negative or evil. still protects the relics inside acts as a guardian, a protector. wide awake to always watch what is going on, that they will always watch to protect.
Figure of Oni Purpose
terracotta figure, believed to be a king or an Oni. He has an elaborate headpiece with beads on it. He has a chubby belly, which is very apparent and sticking out. He is fed well and nourished. very realistic non abstract face. He is holding two objects, he always has a horn in one hand. (left) and there is always some sort of weapon in the righthand, weather it be an ax or a small knife. Decorated in beads.
kente Cloth Purpose
textile that is meant to be worn as clothing. This is worn as a wrap. The end pieces are tied and the main thing you would see is the middle section. kente is usually rectangles stacked one on top of the other and as you go they change patterns and colors making this super abstract and complicated. This is not a story or have meaning, it is meant to be abstract design that are appealing to the eye. The men create this on looms. Kente cloth are symbols of power and are worn by royalty.
Plaque purpose
there is no oba in this plaque however it does relate to the king. we are looking at the outside of the kings palace. The people are guards, two of them have shields and each of them have a spear. the other two are nude boys who are holding fans who are there to serve and fan the king. the plaque is very symmetrical and all of the people have the same face. this face is THE benin face. everyone in the art gets the same face, no one is individualized, it is the benin idealized look. they have very wide open eyes, very alert and see all, they are wide awake. they have very disproportionate features. all plaques have a decorative screen of flowers in the background which has to do with the trade of textiles with flowers engaged with the Portuguese. made of bronze
Beautiful Lady Mask (in performance) Purpose
this is a female mask danced by a male elder. He is earring a costume that females would typically wear such as decorated in textiles. This comes out during the daytime part of a funeral when women and children are still present. This honors the dead. She is an ancestor and therefore has to be ideal, she has to have ideal beauty. She is decorated with gold. This mask does have some creative liberties from mask to mask but the general form stays the same such as the elongated oval heart shaped structure with a sharp point at the end. Raised scarring. Center spirituality depicted by the middle line on the face. Very symmetrical because symmetry = balance. Balance is the key to understanding the world and the way it functions. This mask has connections to many parts of animals such as the chicken legs that always stick out at the bottom. The hen is associated with female and the antelope horns that signify a sense of power. The bottom triangles are the ears and the middle lined section stick out of the side is to represent hair. The artist takes a side profile and represents it from the front. The artist is not portraying a human, but a spirit and therefore, beauty needs to be seen from all angles. eyes are slits such as the female figure from banama. They are not open but not closed, serene expression she is sad and dances and moves very slow, inward thinking at a funeral. She expresses sorrow expression and mourning and is considered the mother spirit
Do Grass Mask (in performance) purpose
this is a mask and costume that is made of temporary materials. The headdress is made of wood that is twined together into a cone shape. The costume is made entirely off leaves and greenery. The mask comes from the bush into the village, several of them come at once and they all look exactly the same. Do is an important spirit, known as the spirit of life, the spirit of the living. This is a village that is very dependent upon the natural world, their livelihood is harvesting crops. This costume is a physical depiction of Do. Th plants and trees and leaves that make up the costume represent the abundance of earth and are symbolic of do and all things living. sometimes it is also decorated with birth feathers because birds can soar and fly up to where the ancestors are. This costume/mask is danced at a seeding ceremony. Do will come and the farmers will ask for the spirits to be given life, to grow. young children are present as this is part of their initiation. This is a community event where everyone comes out. The Bwa culture thinks of the mask as life giving. the feathers that are used to decorate come from the largest bird which is an african eagle. this is tough to hunt and is therefore done by a skilled elder. Do is not a male or a female, it just is. Because of this reason, boys and girls are initiated together into the Do society. This is the only place in west Africa that does this.
D'MBA Mask Purpose
this is a mask that is made of a heavy wood and is covered in rafia. This mask has two purposes, it is either worn as a shoulder mask, where it rests on the masqueraders shoulders, or it can be placed as a statue. This is danced very slowly. This is a symbol of fertility and represents a mother figure. She has enormous elongated and drawn out breasts. She appears to be ready to breastfeed. She has a mens genitalia as her nose which alludes to sexual components. She has dramatic scarification, and braiding on her head. The head is the seat of the soul in african culture. She has slit and calm eyes that indicate serenity and meditation. The face slightly resembles a bird and as we know, bird are sacred because they can fly and soar to where the ancestors are. she is balanced and symmetric. When this is not used as a mask and is used as a statue, women will come to it and rub its breasts in hopes that they will be fertile and be able to become pregnant. This has become the statue of liberty equivalent for Guinea.
Eshu Dance Wand purpose
this is a wand that the priest, the diviner would use. He would hold it in his hand. When it is danced or moved it rattles and makes noise form the string of shells. It works like an instrument. This wakes up the spirits, gets their attention. The diviner views eshu as a really important god. Eshu is the face on the wand. he has elaborate hair and braids and really large eyes. He is very awake and aware and is seeing beyond reality. He is seeing into the spirit world. He has a horn coming from his head. Horns are symbols of being a priest because priests used horns a great deal in the rituals. Used during many rituals.
Now Masquerader with attendants purpose
this is the one mask in all of Africa that is danced by a woman. This is a mask that also depicts the first woman of their culture. the woman is depicted as coming up out of the water and the still water is now rippling around her neck. Everything about this is female energy, by a female, for girl initiation, the attendants are also all female. This is made and danced by a society of female elders. Initiates wear caps that they made that are decorated in textiles and underneath have detailed braided hair. This is the longest initiation that we know about. The girls are taken away into isolation for three years. Part of this process involves having their clitoris removed so that they are not capable of enjoying sex. It is only allowed for the male to enjoy sex. The mask is alway black, very black and dark. It is made in a dark wood, painted in black, covered with ashes from a fire to make darker and then polished with palm oil to be shiny. it was believed of the woman that the darker, the blacker and the shiner their skin was, the more beautiful. The mask itself as well as the attendants and initiants all have very detailed braided hair. it was also believed that the more detailed braid the more beautiful. this mask has an enormous forehead and a very round head yet very small and smushed facial structures. the smaller the facial features, the more beautiful you are thought to be. After the initiation, the woman wearing the mask will fully submerge herself into the water and the emerge so that the mask is reborn and will then lead the imitates into the village.
Golden Stool Purpose
thought to be the very first stool that a king sat on by King Tutu. Tutu started the Asante kingdom. This was his throne. He was such a great king that the ancestors and spirits crafted this throne in the spirit world and brought it down from the sky to him. The Asante people really believe this throne was brought down from the sky. You are basically looking at something that was made by the gods. It is gold which is a material that symbolizes wealth, power and spirits. Every year there is the odwira festival. It happens once a year, during harvest season and the king comes out and greats the public, his people. This festival thanks the gods for a good harvest of yams and allows the king to greet his community and members of his kingdom. This stool itself can never touch the ground which is why he and the stool are lifted. This stool came from the heavens and can itself sit on an elaborate chair. Important objects placed on the stool which are bells. If you ring a bell, you are waking up the spirits. and then the spirits will come because that means that the king is coming. At this ceremony, all of the kings are being worshiped, past and present. Before people bow to the king, they bow to the stool because the stool is their lineage, it goes back to the first king, it is the physical representation of their ancestor.