The Akan people were settled in their current homeland of Ghana by the 12th century CE, where they form multiple subgroups such as the Asante and the Fante, with a common language and similar cultural practices. The Akan are matrilineal, and the different subcultures trace their ancestry back to a common female ancestor. Although the traditional form of Akan government is a … [Read more...] about The Symbolic Art of Akan Cultures: Researched by Kristin Kessinger
This cloth figure represents a 20th-century Ghanaian woman doing chores, sweeping up the mess that is in front of her. The most interesting aspect of this figure, however, is that she wears a dress and head covering of fabric printed to represent the famous Asante cloth known as Kente. Like the Korhogo cloth also in this exhibit, Kente cloth is one of the few textiles in … [Read more...] about Figure of a Sweeping Woman wearing Kente Cloth: Researched by Hannah Harmon
Textiles are an important artform in many African cultures. While weavers in some cultures are traditionally female, as among the Basotho of southern Africa, in other cultures men traditionally do the weaving, as among the Asante of Western Coastal Africa and the Senufo of Western Africa. The weavers do use different types of looms, however; women tend to weave on upright, … [Read more...] about African Textiles: Researched by Hannah Woolridge
As in most cultures, in African cultures, symbols of status are used to make distinctions among classes or other groups of people. The owners of status objects are recognized as powerful, wealthy, or high-ranking. In Africa, high-status individuals include people with hereditary power such as royalty; spiritual leaders; high-ranking military or civic leaders; prosperous … [Read more...] about African Status Symbols: Researched by Emily McClain and Zoë Pixler
While African masks and large-scale sculptures are highly celebrated, the small figures produced by African cultures are much less well-known. These sculptures generally take human form, but they are made of diverse media, including carved wood, assemblages of resin, cloth, and found materials, and even soft sculptures of sewn, stuffed cloth. They range from relatively … [Read more...] about African Figures: Researched by Rebecca Warden