exam 1 Flashcards
Nok Civilization
Terra Cotta Statues
elongated face and chin resting on knee (single leg)
eyes flat at top curved at bottom
Penis Sheaths
no funerary context to their sculptures
pierced oraphices
Ife
heart of yoruba people
small almond eyes in copper statues
elongated neck
scarification
striated lines on face
beaded necklace and headdress
ritual vessels were broken on purpose so liquids could flow into the earth
Oni
Ife ruler
oba
Yoruba ruler
red garb
ivory cuffs
red coral beads
feet kept off the ground
face covered
British Punitive Expedition (1897)
brits wanted to visit Edo people
they refused and brits came anyway
some brits were killed
british sent punishment expedition, they sacked benin and burned down the palace
looted the alters taking heads and plaques. their artwork became disorganized
Benin Kingdom,
ruled by Ogiso = king of the sky
leopards and pythons were totems of their rulers
place of the Edo people
plaques depicting king with servants
mudfish are supernatural representing raining season
Yoruba
the most twins are in yoruba
circular artworks split into spirit and earth realm
Eshu=trickster god
shango= god of thunder and twins
Ifa divination
there is a divination trey involving a ritual with a diviner and pine nuts thrown onto a trey and read.
Orisha,
gods of Yoruba
Shango
god of thunder and twins
represented as a woman when associated with dance
Eshu
trickster/messenger god
god of crossroads
helps with decisions about sex and money
young and old face
Gelelde
masking ceremony performed by men for women
old women are considered to have spiritual power
snakes, birds, and lions on the masks
calm humanoid face depicted
Ere Ibeji
in the image of twins
statue made in the image of a deceased twin
treated like a living being
depicted in adult form
indigo often used to color hair
Ase
Yoruba word meaning power of life
Igbo
people of Nigeria
no chief ruler in their society
council of elders makes decisions
meritocracy
ozo=highest title
Ikenga,
skulptures associated with status
a shrine to achievment
ichi marks = scarification
horns on the head
weapons and heads of defeated enemies held
birds on top of horns
staff and tusk
Agbogho Mmuo
maiden spirit
spirit mask ceremony
white face = purity
spiral hair
Uli paint on face
female - safety - light - order - cumulus clouds
Okoroshi,
ugly deformed masks
diverse in design
some are horned and fanged representing bravery
male - bush - dark - chaos
Uli,
of the igbo peoples
cursive patterns painted onto bodies
lizards coiled pythons and humanoid figures
spirals, sunburst, and crescent moons
Mbari
of the igbo people
houses constructed as property right
depicting gods and abundance
niches occupied by figures
people do not enter
made when something happens like a natural disaster or disease spread
burning of the enclosure fence reveals Mbari for the first time
Asante
people of ghana
kente cloths
golden stool
Asen,
of the Fon people
forged iron staffs were created for each ancestor serving as a link between the living and the dead where offerings and recognition would be offered to each Asen during the dry season in a ceremony called ahanbiba
Makpo
royal staff / club like shape / pineapple king / carried by head of household
Bocio
of the Fon people
empowered object / cadaver
accumulated patina further empowers
royal bocio are refined and pristine
regular bocio not as well made
Kente
textile cloth
strip woven
of asante people
Adinkra
of Asante people
stamped cloth with symbols representing things in their culture
the golden stool
of Asante people
houses soul of Asante nation
stool is more important than the king
Akua ba
fertility doll
abstracted form with big flat forehead
minimal styling
utilitarian - kept with mothers or those trying to have children
Fon
people of the Dahomey kingdom
biggest group in Benin
Nommo
of the Dogon
primordial ancestors that started the world
violent crash in arc spilled four pairs of Nommo into the world
figures often sculpted in male/female pairs with pointy heads
Ginna
Shrine
square / 2 stories / flat roof
grid like design
roof can stage a performance
Togu’na
house of words
male meeting place to chill and talk
open gazibo type structure
posts carved with gendered figures
square structure
womanly iconography
Yapinu ginu
menstruation house
exclusive to women
curvy closed structure
circular
woman are together
Awa
mens society responsible for making keeping and deligating of masks
of the dogon society
Dama
of the dogon people
collective funeral every years to release the souls since the last Dama
Kanaka
dogon mask said to represent lizard figure
masking allows for communications with the spirits
swoop and hit the ground during masking ceremony
Sirige
mask worn during Dama ceremony
called tree or big house. very tall mask
touches earth and heavens
axis mundi
Baule
ivory coast
Waka snan
figures kept in private space
sculptures that embody spirit
Blolo bian (or Bla)
of Blaue people
spirit spouse
can cause problems with sex and relationships
smooth surfaces
acarification
down cast eyes inward looking
oradianed with jewelry
Mblo
of Baule people
portrait masks
down cast eyes
birds
Goli
big series of masks
day long masking ceremonies
4 pairs of masks
performed 2x per month
less spiritual restriction
Mouse divination
divination practice using mice to foretell future as mice are considered a vehicle to communicate with the spirit realm
