Early African Art Chapter 13

Historical Background 0 Africa has more indiginous languages than any other location 0 Plagued by war and fighting (Hutus in Rwanda) 0 Associates with a culture or ethnicity, not a country 0 Scramble for Africa 0 Phoenicians and Carthaginians 0 “Bilal al-Sudan”

Key Terms 0 Scarification 0 Lost-was casting 0 Battered walls 0 Zoomorphic

SSA_SHARED_MEDIA_1/art/MAL/video s/process_videos/WaxCast-large.html Lost-Wax Casting

Crowned Head of a King Ife, Yoruba,12 th cent, Zinc Brass, 9 7/16” The city of Ife is also called the “navel of the world” because Yoruba belief states that the oni (king) oduduwa created Earth from Ife. This is cast with zinc brass using the lost wax casting method. The crown indicates that the head is of a king but the soft features noticeable around the nose and mouth imply that the head is actually female. Scarification can be seen in parallel lines running down the face A hole can be found in the neck. These holes are most likely used to attach a larger body Leo Frobenius believed that this artwork was from the lost city of Atlantis because of how naturalistic it was. (Europeans didn’t believe that African artwork could be so naturalistic) Some art historians argue that the head is an idealized image of beauty and not a portrait of a specific king

Dancers in Ceremonial Attire Rock-wall painting, Tassili-n-Ajjer, Algeria, 5000 BCE Early African art started with Rock art. This rock painting shows the dancers wearing masks and decorative clothing that suggest they are involved in a ritual The horses in the second painting show introduction of other cultures because horses were not common in Africa

Head from Nok Nok, 500 BCE-200 CE, Terra Cotta, 36 cm The Nok civilization is known for the first evidence of iron technology The earliest known sculptures of sub- Saharan Africa come from the Nok The head is larger than a real head and is part of a complete human sculpture A convention found in Nok art is D- shape of the eyes. The buns on the head have holes to hold decorations such as feathers Many Nok sculptures are also highly decorated with jewelry

Burial Chamber at Igbo-Ukwu Recreation The Igbo-Ukwu civilization, known of their use of copper alloy, is located in Eastern Nigeria. The excavation at Igbo-Ukwu revealed a burial chamber containing an individual dressed in royal clothing sitting on a chair surrounded by expensive objects that symbolizes his power Ivory and imported beads are some of the expensive objects The fly whisk, staff, and fan held by the individual are symbols of his power

Nkisi Nkonde DRC, 30”, Wood and Nails This is from the Bantu located in the Kongo basin Nkisi Nkondes are dolls used to communicate with the dead in the Kongo religion A convention of Nkisi Nkondes is the large amount of nails inserted into them Nkisi Nkondes are also used to represent power and are used in rituals

Hip Mask Representing an Iyoba (Queen Mother) Benin, 1550 CE, Ivory, Iron, and copper, 9.25” This is an example of Benin art An Iyoba is a queen mother This mask is used as a belt ornament worn by an oba The two lines on the mask forehead show scarification, a convention of early African art This particular mask is possible Idia, the mother of Esigie who was an oba Idia is known for raising an army and using magic to help her son defeat his enemies The Portuguese men that helped Esigie expand his kingdom are on the mask’s necklace