The Asante are a culture living primarily in the Akan region of Western Coastal Africa, in what are now the countries of Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire. Although they have a matrilineal society, with the line of descent traced through women, the Asante have a monarchy style of government that is predominantly—but not exclusively--ruled by men. The Asante people use two different … [Read more...] about Asante Art: Researched by Amanda Steimel
Women of the Ovambo culture of Namibia carefully weave baskets like the Basket with Center Bowl using a traditional coil-weaving style. These baskets are traditionally used for food serving or for grain storage, but they are also made for the tourist trade, to be sold in order to help support the family. Women in different communities often weave together, but each women adds … [Read more...] about Basket with Center Bowl: Researched by Jonathan Kodner
These seven maskettes are individually hand-made works in ebony wood, but they represent a type of carving that is mass-produced in Senegal for the tourist-trade. Such sets of seven maskettes are marketed to the tourist community as wall hangings that represent the seven days of the week. The material, color, and size of the masks unites them as a group, and the masks that … [Read more...] about Seven Ebony Maskettes: Researched by Codee Ratliff
Batik textiles originated in Indonesia, but they were introduced into Africa sometime before the 20th century, where they were embraced and have become very popular. The batik process involves painting wax designs onto a fabric and then submerging it into a dye bath. The process may be repeated for additional colors and to create complex layers of designs. Cracks in the wax … [Read more...] about Batik Shirt with Orange Yin-Yang Symbols: Researched by Hannah Harmon
Kuba cut-pile cloth, also known Kasai velvet or Shoowa velvet, is an elaborate, labor-intensive cloth that is highly valued among the Kuba as well as being a popular collector’s item outside of Africa. After men weave the basic background cloth of softened raffia fibers, the cloths are delivered to the female master artisans. These women embroider outlines onto the cloth, … [Read more...] about Tan Cut-Pile Cloth with Hexagon Design: Researched by Hannah Harmon