STRUCTURE//OBJECT
ROYAL HAT
LEFT A Royal Kongo hat, collected before 1674.
Fiber, height 7¼”. Department of Ethnography, The National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen (Photo © Kit Weiss)
Royal hats of the Kongo were constructed from a single strand of woven thread, beginning at the top of the hat and spiraling out to the edges. [11] Many hats, including the one to the left, utilize an open spiral pattern in its design. One scholar, Wyatt MacGaffey, suggests that, “[spiral forms] are important features of Kongo symbolism…associated with longevity.” [12] The use of the single thread in construction might also support the notion of long life and the continuity of the ruler’s power. Serpentine patterning is prevalent in other works by the Kongo peoples, such as ivory horns, and cloth. As prominent researcher and writer Suzanne Preston Blier notes, “Not only is the serpentine rainbow an important marker of fecundity, but certain exceptional babies are believed to be brought to life through the intervention of spirits (simbi), who are sometimes represented as snakes.” So, while this hat may seem to be a simple addition to a wardrobe or an embellishment, one must acknowledge the visual language it incurs; a conversation pertaining to ideas of longevity, power, birth of life, and richness.
[11] G.D. Gibson and C.R. McGurk, "High-Status Caps of the Kongo and Mbundu Peoples," Textile Museum Journal, v. 4 (1981): 71-96
[12] Wyatt MacGaffey, Religion and Society in Central Africa: The BaKongo of Lower Zaire (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1986), 96.
Fiber, height 7¼”. Department of Ethnography, The National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen (Photo © Kit Weiss)
Royal hats of the Kongo were constructed from a single strand of woven thread, beginning at the top of the hat and spiraling out to the edges. [11] Many hats, including the one to the left, utilize an open spiral pattern in its design. One scholar, Wyatt MacGaffey, suggests that, “[spiral forms] are important features of Kongo symbolism…associated with longevity.” [12] The use of the single thread in construction might also support the notion of long life and the continuity of the ruler’s power. Serpentine patterning is prevalent in other works by the Kongo peoples, such as ivory horns, and cloth. As prominent researcher and writer Suzanne Preston Blier notes, “Not only is the serpentine rainbow an important marker of fecundity, but certain exceptional babies are believed to be brought to life through the intervention of spirits (simbi), who are sometimes represented as snakes.” So, while this hat may seem to be a simple addition to a wardrobe or an embellishment, one must acknowledge the visual language it incurs; a conversation pertaining to ideas of longevity, power, birth of life, and richness.
[11] G.D. Gibson and C.R. McGurk, "High-Status Caps of the Kongo and Mbundu Peoples," Textile Museum Journal, v. 4 (1981): 71-96
[12] Wyatt MacGaffey, Religion and Society in Central Africa: The BaKongo of Lower Zaire (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1986), 96.
MWAAN AMBUL (KING'S SLEEPING ROOM)
LEFT Building, Kuba-Bushoong (Dem. Rep. of Congo). The king's sleeping room (mwaan ambul).
(Photo © Angelo Turconi, Casciago, Italy)
The display of design motifs cannot be simply limited to items of clothing and fabric. The expression of particular artistic tendencies can be seen through many other outlets, for example here we see the rich geometric patterning in the woven wall structures. This patterning is of the Kuba-Bushoong peoples and what is most striking is the open, swirling (serpentine) lines that make up it's composition. As noted in the above photo of the royal Kongo hat, serpentine patterning can suggest both birth and death; babies having thought to have been delivered into communities through the divine intervention of the spirits and at times depicted as a snake. One might also deduce that the interlocking lines, without beginning or end, might also visually represent the power of the ruler at hand and the importance of his image as a constant and ever powerful force. Often times each king designed his own capital, and scholar Suzanne Preston Blier writes that, "Lushly patterned mat-like walls separated the different sections of the capital, defining perspectives, and framing areas in a play of horizontal and shifting axes which emphasized at once successive vistas and the harmonious demarcation of open spaces." [13] Here is the example of how one's presence and perspective can both be illustrated through the use of patterning in design.
[13] Suzanne Preston Blier, The Royal Arts of Africa: The Majesty of Form (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1998), 242-243.
(Photo © Angelo Turconi, Casciago, Italy)
The display of design motifs cannot be simply limited to items of clothing and fabric. The expression of particular artistic tendencies can be seen through many other outlets, for example here we see the rich geometric patterning in the woven wall structures. This patterning is of the Kuba-Bushoong peoples and what is most striking is the open, swirling (serpentine) lines that make up it's composition. As noted in the above photo of the royal Kongo hat, serpentine patterning can suggest both birth and death; babies having thought to have been delivered into communities through the divine intervention of the spirits and at times depicted as a snake. One might also deduce that the interlocking lines, without beginning or end, might also visually represent the power of the ruler at hand and the importance of his image as a constant and ever powerful force. Often times each king designed his own capital, and scholar Suzanne Preston Blier writes that, "Lushly patterned mat-like walls separated the different sections of the capital, defining perspectives, and framing areas in a play of horizontal and shifting axes which emphasized at once successive vistas and the harmonious demarcation of open spaces." [13] Here is the example of how one's presence and perspective can both be illustrated through the use of patterning in design.
[13] Suzanne Preston Blier, The Royal Arts of Africa: The Majesty of Form (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1998), 242-243.
KING'S CROWN
LEFT King's crown, adenla
Beads stitched to cotton over basketry base
Yoruba, Nigeria, 20th century
Collection Peter Adler (Photo © Peter Adler)
This crown was created through the process of stitching beads to cotton over a tall, conical shaped basket. Yoruba royalty maintains the image of beauty, power, wealth, and exuberance through their fine beadwork and the image to the left is a perfect example. Crowns often displayed abstracted or stylized human faces, thought loosely as the Yoruba kingdom's first ruler. [14] Crowns are only allowed to be worn by those that can directly trace their descent back to Oduduwa and because of this, these crowns are the most significant symbol of Yoruba kingship. The bird perched atop the crown represents the royal office, staff, or opa; while the other birdlike figures descending the crown represent iyami, a derogatory term for the powerful women of Yoruba society also known as Our Mothers. [15] The strands that hang down from the crown protect one from the powerful gaze of the ruler and the Ashé, or powerful life-force in which the ruler contains. Both scholars Judith Perani and Fred T. Smith reason that, "The gathering of birds on the crown, facing inward and upward toward a larger bird on the top, can be interpreted as making reference to the king's ability to rule with the cooperation of the senior women in the kingdom." [16] Ultimately the crown in Yoruba culture is an extreme example and illustration of power. Through both the singular exclusive right of the ruler to wear the crown and also through its specific use of figures and motifs to elucidate this image of power and authority we may then understand yet another way design facilitates the narrative behind the purpose of textiles.
[14] Blier, The Royal Arts of Africa, 79-81.
[15] Judith Perani and Fred T. Smith, The Visual Arts of Africa: Gender, Power, and Life Cycle Rituals. (New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1998), 135-136.
[16] John Mack, introduction to Africa: Arts and Culture, Edited by John Mack (New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2000), 18-20.
Beads stitched to cotton over basketry base
Yoruba, Nigeria, 20th century
Collection Peter Adler (Photo © Peter Adler)
This crown was created through the process of stitching beads to cotton over a tall, conical shaped basket. Yoruba royalty maintains the image of beauty, power, wealth, and exuberance through their fine beadwork and the image to the left is a perfect example. Crowns often displayed abstracted or stylized human faces, thought loosely as the Yoruba kingdom's first ruler. [14] Crowns are only allowed to be worn by those that can directly trace their descent back to Oduduwa and because of this, these crowns are the most significant symbol of Yoruba kingship. The bird perched atop the crown represents the royal office, staff, or opa; while the other birdlike figures descending the crown represent iyami, a derogatory term for the powerful women of Yoruba society also known as Our Mothers. [15] The strands that hang down from the crown protect one from the powerful gaze of the ruler and the Ashé, or powerful life-force in which the ruler contains. Both scholars Judith Perani and Fred T. Smith reason that, "The gathering of birds on the crown, facing inward and upward toward a larger bird on the top, can be interpreted as making reference to the king's ability to rule with the cooperation of the senior women in the kingdom." [16] Ultimately the crown in Yoruba culture is an extreme example and illustration of power. Through both the singular exclusive right of the ruler to wear the crown and also through its specific use of figures and motifs to elucidate this image of power and authority we may then understand yet another way design facilitates the narrative behind the purpose of textiles.
[14] Blier, The Royal Arts of Africa, 79-81.
[15] Judith Perani and Fred T. Smith, The Visual Arts of Africa: Gender, Power, and Life Cycle Rituals. (New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1998), 135-136.
[16] John Mack, introduction to Africa: Arts and Culture, Edited by John Mack (New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2000), 18-20.
EGUNGUN COSTUME
LEFT Yoruba Egungun costume
Cloth, leather.
Indianapolis Museum of Art, United States
Egungun costumes are assembled through the accumulation of various colorful strips of cloth sewn together. Egungun is the most widespread and well known masquerade in Yoruba society, honoring the ancestors while also demonstrating important life cycle rituals associated with death. Popular Yoruba belief states that there is a constant relationship between the deceased and the living, and that through such festivals one is able to both honor the ancestors and seek blessings upon the village. Judith Perani and Fred T. Smith write in their book,The Visual Arts of Africa: Gender, Power, and Life Cycle Rituals, that, "While Egungun festivals occur throughout the Yoruba area, regional differences are evident. Costuming is extremely diverse, reflecting the wide range of concerns of the association." Though there are many different types and variations of an Egungun costume, this image was chosen to illustrate one of the most common forms. The cloth strips are sewn together in such a way as to activate the space surrounding the wearer when spun about in twirling movements. This image was also chosen as an example of how a common theme, of honoring ancestors, can be made personal and reflective of the specific needs of an individual community. [17]
[17] Perani and Smith, The Visual Arts of Africa, 135-136.
TO SEE A LIVE EGUNGUN MASQUERADE VISIT:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw4awJTlwkU
Cloth, leather.
Indianapolis Museum of Art, United States
Egungun costumes are assembled through the accumulation of various colorful strips of cloth sewn together. Egungun is the most widespread and well known masquerade in Yoruba society, honoring the ancestors while also demonstrating important life cycle rituals associated with death. Popular Yoruba belief states that there is a constant relationship between the deceased and the living, and that through such festivals one is able to both honor the ancestors and seek blessings upon the village. Judith Perani and Fred T. Smith write in their book,The Visual Arts of Africa: Gender, Power, and Life Cycle Rituals, that, "While Egungun festivals occur throughout the Yoruba area, regional differences are evident. Costuming is extremely diverse, reflecting the wide range of concerns of the association." Though there are many different types and variations of an Egungun costume, this image was chosen to illustrate one of the most common forms. The cloth strips are sewn together in such a way as to activate the space surrounding the wearer when spun about in twirling movements. This image was also chosen as an example of how a common theme, of honoring ancestors, can be made personal and reflective of the specific needs of an individual community. [17]
[17] Perani and Smith, The Visual Arts of Africa, 135-136.
TO SEE A LIVE EGUNGUN MASQUERADE VISIT:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw4awJTlwkU