Portrait masks are made by woodcarvers of the Baule culture to represent a specific woman from the area who is considered important among the villagers. Although they are made in the image of a specific woman, their faces are often idealized and somewhat generalized. They always emphasize the woman’s physical beauty, usually by giving the mask heavy, lidded eyes that gaze … [Read more...] about African Masks: Researched by Leslie Dunaway
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
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
Korhogo mud cloth is one of the few African textiles that is produced by men. The cloths are made by painting iron-rich mud onto handmade panels of cotton cloth and then submerging the entire cloth into a dye made of boiled vegetation. The stylized images on the cloths are figures and animals that hold great symbolic meaning for the Senufo. The central figure on this cloth … [Read more...] about Korhogo Mud Cloth with Dancer and Two Birds: Researched by Hannah Harmon