The homeland of the Yoruba culture is in Western Coastal Africa, predominantly in what are today the countries of Nigeria and the Republic of Benin. The art of the Yoruba takes a wide variety of forms, including wood and metal sculptures, musical instruments, masks, headdresses, and other implements. Most of these artworks are active, functional objects, and they are used in … [Read more...] about Art of the Yoruba: Researched by Earlene Elliot-Lee
From ancient times through today, African cultures have made beads of many different materials, including shells, seeds, bone, ivory, horn, clay, gourd, wood, rock crystal, iron, copper, brass, and gold. The widespread trade of colorful European glass seed beads, however, enabled African artisans to greatly expand traditional beadwork forms and designs, and they elevated this … [Read more...] about African Beadwork: Researched by Amanda Horned and Cortney Metzger
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