Ladder
Dogon People, Mali
19th or early 20th century
Gift of Lloyd Cotsen
and Neutrogena Corp.
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The African collections at the museum consist
of household objects, toys, and textiles as well as masks
and wood sculpture. An anonymous gift of over 40 pieces of
pottery increased the geographic representation of the holdings.
Alexander
Girard» donated
many small figures and toys of wood while toys made from wire
and recycled materials were collected for the exhibit Recycled
Re-Seen». Another
recent acquisition and ongoing collecting area is metalwork
from Africa. Metal objects represent a rich area for interpretation
because their manufacture and use encompasses the development
of technology, trade, adornment, ritual and religion, and
core cultural values.
Metal objects have many functions and meanings in Africa where
forging has been regarded as an almost magical, transformative
process that is likened to the creation of life itself. Ceremonial
pieces, often based on utilitarian forms such as the agricultural
hoe like this iwenga from the Nkutshu people of southeastern
Democratic Republic of Congo, were used as special-purpose
currency. Not everyday money, this currency was exchanged
in the course of a significant social transaction such as
marriage. Utilitarian, symbolic, and decorative; cultural
significance is hammered into the products of the forge with
every blow.
Pottery is made all over the continent of Africa for functional
and ritual use. Pottery, along with basketry vessels, was
essential to carry and store food and water. Collecting interests
includes Zambian pottery with its beautifully proportioned
clay bodies decorated with fine lines that form a decorative
geometric pattern. Today in Zambia, most pottery has been
replaced by sheet metal and plastic, materials that are more
durable and less expensive but also less attractive than a
handmade clay jar.
Hoe Currency
Nkutshu People
Democratic Republic of Congo
19th century
International Folk Art
Foundation and gift of Tom Joyce |
Pelican Puppet
Bozo People, Mali
c. 1960
Gift of the Girard Foundation |
Painted wood panel
Morocco
c. 1960
Gift of the Girard Foundation |
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