DK Collector's Guide - Tribal Art: The Essential World Guide 1405312890, 9781405312899

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THE ESSENTIAL WORLD GU

The

essential, full-color

collector's

guide to

tribal art Tribal Art spans the millennia

and

— Oceania, and The Americas—providing and

the continents

Africa,

a rich

diverse field for collectors to enjoy.

From

the Peruvian vessels of 400bce

masks of the

to the expressive African

20th century, the various examples give a fascinating insight into the lifestyles, beliefs,

and ceremonies of different

peoples across the globe.

Written by antiques expert Judith Miller and specialist contributors Philip Keith this

is

and Jim Haas,

the complete visual guide to the extraordinary

range of tribal art collectibles. The book traces a path across the world, featuring artistically important countries and regions from Sierra Leone to Angola;

from Australia

to the

Arctic to the Andes.

Solomon

Over 1,000

Islands;

and from the

collectible items are

featured in full-color photographs with up-to-date price guides

and

tips for

buying,

selling,

and

collecting.

Showcasing pieces by key tribes and peoples such as the

Dogon of Mali,

Mayan

the

Asmat of Irian

Jaya,

and the

peoples of Southern Mexico, this book also

tells

the stories behind the artworks, capturing the essence of

the culture that produced each item, from decorative shields

and ornate

statues to beautifully crafted

everyday objects such as cooking utensils and chairs.

(

Combining

historical information, price guides,

collecting tips, this

anyone with an

is

and

the must-have sourcebook for

interest in tribal art.

$35.

\

$45.00

a

745.089 Miller 2006 Miller, Judith Tribal art o/av.

31111022825440

Digitized by the Internet Archive in

2012

http://archive.org/details/tribalartOOmill

TRIBAL ART

.

•

MX*

I

w ft.

frf

Tlingit

mask,

p.

155

JUDITH MILLER with Philip Keith and Jim Haas Photography by Graham Rae

Contents

LONDON. NEW YORK, MUNICH. MELBOURNE. DELHI

HOW TO

DK and THE PRICE GLIDE COMPANY A joint

production from

FOREWORD

DORLING KINDERSLEY LIMITED Senior Editor Dawn Henderson Mandy

Senior Art Editor

Earey

Africa

DTP. Reproduction, and Design Adam Walker

Managing Editor Julie Oughton Managing Art Editor Heather McCarry U.S. Editor Christine Heilman

Cartographer David Roberts

Warman

18

Managing Editor

Brooke

Julie

Smith

Claire

Megan Watson, Sandra Lange, and Dan Dunlavey

Editorial Assistants

Digital

Image Coordinator

2006

375 Hudson York. NY 10014 .

Guide Compan)

Studio 2

1

.

EAST AND SOUTH AFRICA

80

Ethiopia

82

Kenya and Somalia

84

South Africa

24

Guinea and

26

Liberia

34

Ghana

90

Culture of Oceania

36

Mali

92

AUSTRALIA AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN ISLANDS

94

Australia

98

Philippines

100

Indonesia

104

POLYNESIA AND MICRONESIA

108

New Zealand

110

Austral and Marquesas

Sierra

Leone

Oceania 88

and Ivory Coast

42

Burkina Faso

44

Nigeria

52

Cameroon

[flH

L

^gn^

^Bt Jfl^H£»ifi66QK52i

Published in the United States by

Price

76

Ellen Sinclair

erican Edition.

The

Angola

WEST AFRICA

While every care has been taken in the compilation of this guide, neither the authors nor the publishers accept any liability for any financial or other loss incurred by reliance placed on the information contained in Tribal An

New

74

River Basin

22

Photographers Graham Rae and Douglas Sandberg

Publishing lnc

Gabon Congo

Culture of Africa

Chief Contributor John Wainwright

DK

58

60

20

THE PRICE GUIDE COMPANY LIMITED Publishing Manager

CENTRAL AFRICA

7

INTRODUCTION 8

Designer Katie Eke

Production Elizabeth

USE THIS BOOK 6

56

Islands

k

112

Fiji

Street

K Ltd

Waterside

info@ihepncej

.inder Intern

i

n

may

hanical,

Great Britain by Dorlit Publication

DK

ible at special discounts for bulk amotions, premiums, fund-raising. Tor details, contact: DK Publishing

bo.

5

Hudson

Street,

New

York.

NY 10014

-,[email protected] in,

Singapore

Leefung, China

Discover more \\

at

ww.dk.com

Senufo kpeliye mask, p.28

Maon

hei

tiki,

p.

108

114

MELANESIA

116

Irian Jaya

120

Sepik River

130

Papuan Gulf

132

Eastern Islands

136

Solomon

The Americas 142

Culture of the Americas

144

NORTH AMERICA

146

Arctic and

Subarctic

Islands

152

Northwest Coast

158

California and Plateau

164

Southwest

172

Plains

178

Great Lakes and Eastern

Britain shield p.

135

Woodlands

182

Southeast Region

186

MIDDLE AMERICA

188

West Mexico

'-'-

;-'*


-

CULTURE

AFRICA

OF

Bobo dancers from the Koudougou of Burkina Faso

group performances, at agricultural in

region

wear animal masks used

in

rituals

and during the planting season.

spring,

The dancers are concealed by

costume and

their

body

raffia fiber fringe.

MASQUERADE

%

The

quintessential African cultural object

probably the mask. Viewed in the

atmosphere of a

on

museum

a stand, or hovering

most of the meaning is that the

mask is

is

"sterile"

cabinet displayed

on the page of a book,

lost.

We must remember

part of a set of rituals, which

includes a concealing costume, pulsating

music and drumbeats, violent

audience

—the masquerade.

Masks crest

are

worn

in

one of three ways:

as a

above the head; conventionally, over the

face or at a slant

head

flickering firelight,

movement, and the reaction of the

on

as a "helmet."

the forehead; or over the

Only face and helmet masks

need be pierced for

sight, as the other styles

allow the dancer to see through a fiber fringe or fabric panels, attached to the perimeter of the

mask by means of holes or

nails, respectively.

Masquerade performances occur

for

many

different reasons, but are generally associated

with secular or religious ceremonies; for example, in the context of sacred

and female

cults,

male

initiations, funerals, hunting,

farming, detecting bad magic, apprehending witches, adjudicating disputes,

*?

entertainment. Masks spirits

for

during the ceremony only. Afterward,

they are regarded as merely

and may be discarded. This so

and

become occupied by

many ended up

in

wooden

is

"shells"

one reason why

European collections

the 19th and early 20th centuries.

in

WEST AFRICA With

its rich

and fabled

Europe, West Africa— and

its

many

been great

century. There has long

the wide variety of wonderful artworks from this part of Africa.

in

The West African region two

to

is

composed of

the Almoravides

Guinea coast (Senegal

Cameroon) and

had

out from Senegal to

convert

it

in

Ghana and

to Islam.

the plains in

the western and central Sudanese

THE RISE OFTRADE

savanna (western Sahara

The

to

Chad). The economy of this region

was influenced

set

conquer the Soninke kingdom

different geographical areas, the

forests of the

first

history of West Africa

is

characterized by

the expansion and contraction of successive

by Islam via

militaristic empires.

The

natural metal resources

the ancient trans-Saharan trade

of gold, copper, and iron also contributed to

routes in the north, and then by

the formation of these states.

the

European traders who arrived

Some

at the coast.

development of trade

from Portugal

who

in the 15th century.

The Portuguese advanced ever

allies to fight

the

to the rulers,

bronze sculptures to legitimize their

The

pressures of war and trade had

West Africans, who became an unwitting

in

commodity

invading Moots

Almoravides). Four centuries

the

which brought

severe consequences for millions of ordinary

search of wealth, Christian converts,

and

cast

kingship.

farther

around the western coast of Africa

They enabled

in gold,

enormous wealth and power

of the earliest

Western maritime contacts came

(

to

and peoples— has dominated the European

tribes

academic and popular mind since the 15th interest

and close proximity

history, large cultural diversity,

in the miserable slave trade,

escalated in the 18th century

which

and diminished

in the 19th century.

earlier,

The development of settled

agriculture

enabled the establishment of great empires such as

and Mali

the Soninke, Songai,

and Wood and copper mask

15

in

tribe

of elongated, tapering

from western Mali. C18th-C19th.

(38 cm) high $7,000-10,000 JDB

LANDSCAPE AND CULTURE Climate and geography directly influence religious, military,

and

rural

economic

cultural practices. Rainfall

steadily increases from north to south, creating a range of

environments that sustain different plants and animals.

Right: The inhabitants of the coastal areas

and nver

valleys,

are fishermen

such as

savanna,

city-states such as Benin.

form with red woven fabric highlights, by the

Marka

in the

this

area

and farmers. The

in

Cameroon,

rainforest

either side of the Niger has poor soil.

on

Ivory figurative

amulet

of stylized

form by the Lobi

Late C19th.

6%

tribe.

.

.

in (1

7

cm) high

$1,000-1,600 BLA

'

MALI

JL

D0G0N BAMANA DJENNE

BURKINA FASO Dogon

stylized

mask.

c.

BWA

walu (antelope)

1930.

W/2

in

(50 cm) high

BOBO

$900-1.500 PHK

E ;

]

LOBI

H~~

MOSSI Terracotta seated male figure with "elongated-style" head, from the

NIGERIA

civilization.

IVORY COAST

SIERRA LEONE MENDE

LIBERIA

lomaD

DBAULE

HSENUFO

DAN

GURO

BETE

;

nokBBENIN

T

IGBO

CAMEROON mambilaH-

D FANTE

EKOI I

ASHANTI

KPELLE [

in

(30 cm) high $5,000-8,000 BLA

GHANA

GREBOl

Nok

a. lift

YORUBA

LAGOONS PEOPLES

nwE

400 bu -200

BAMILEKE [

BAMUN I NAMJI

Dogs-head dance mask from the Mambila c.

1900.

long

Bundu ancestral and

15%

in

tribe,

(40 cm)

$12,000-18.000 KC

iconic female

beauty mask by the Mende

tribe.

Late C19th-early C20th. 15 3 j

in

(40 cm) high $1,800-3.000 BLA

Ashanti tribe kente (basket-weave-like) cloth C20th. 6

ft

(1.8

m) square $700-1.000 PHK

Monumental

Left:

characterize the

rectilinear

of the Islamized north.

clay

mosques

here),

forms

mosques and palaces The astounding

at Mopti,

Djenne (seen

and Timbuktu are among the most

important architectural structures world. Traditional

made

of earth, mostly small

rectangular,

in

the

West African dwellings are

composed

and

circular or

of small units,

topped with thatched or

and

flat clay roofs.

23

WEST

AFRICA

KEY FACTS Tribes include Nalu, Baga. Mende, Vai.

and Gola.

Western Guinea coast

art is influenced

by Sudanese savanna cultures, especially

in

Guinea and Sierra Leone

the use of bas-relief

geometric carving and coloring.

The most refined fusion of African

craft

and Portuguese design

Nalu and Baga carvings are linked by their

shared participation

society.

Mende

society

in

is

the

Simo

regulated

emerged during the 15th century

southern Sierra Leone,

in

producing vessels stately enough to grace the tables of the

through the Poro (male) and Sande (female) societies.

Nomoli

figures

courts of Europe.

were dug up by farmers

plowing their fields or digging for

To the

far

west of the Guinea coast region are

female figures, which refer to

diamonds, and were quite commonly found

until recently.

the ethnic groups of Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, and

power and female dominance.

coastal Sierra Leone.

They

Two of the

masks

largest

in Africa are

by the Nalu and Baga of Guinea

mnda and nimba masks, banda

is

a

broad, oval

respectively.

is

male

worn

horizontally

with

and

to 130 lb (60 kg)

is

a

as the traditional

cylindrical in form.)

Most dramatic

are the 6 /2-10-ft- (2-3-m-) high basonyi snake 1

in

fight a duel signaling the

spouse pairs to

beginning of the

boys' initiation festivities.

Today, the dominant group are the Mende,

type of "bust"

famous

mask, supported on the shoulders of the dancer, and appears at rice harvest time.

is

West Africa,

emblems, which appear

on the head during

The nimba weighs up

initiations.

are rare in

drum

The

antelope, crocodile, and chameleon features,

and

Simo

ceremonies such as funerals. (These drums

used

— namely, the

human facemask

are played during important

The

Baga also carve medicine-spirit headdresses,

for their sowei (helmet masks),

female figure sculptures called minsere, which

by the neighboring Temne.

are also carved

a-Tshol (altar sculptures), and drums, i ""|

Unusually, Baga

Mende

Above:

drums have sculpted

tribe

wooden

support carved with a

supports, often depicting horses and

15

in

women's by

in

(38 cm) high $500-900

in

Vai,

and Gola,

connection with the Sande (or Bundu

society. This

women

is

the only

documented use of masks

sub-Saharan Africa. The Sande

is

involved in

the initiation of girls and their preparation for marriage. At

end of the

the

rituals, a spirit

appears wearing the mask and

carrying a whip to drive away malevolent spirits and witches.

Masks are

are painted black

worn with long

and polished with palm

raffia-fiber fringes

oil,

and

and costumes. They

are carved with qualities reflecting beauty (high forehead,

elaborate coiffure), and prosperity (multiple neck

Left:

Sowei (Mende

tribe

rolls).

helmet

mask), possibly carved by Mustafa Ado

Dassama, incorporating the heads

of

King George V and Queen Mary. 3936. 1

24

7

in

(43 cm) high $3,000-7.000

AP

stool with a

human head and

HELMET MASKS Helmet masks are produced by the Mende, and most are used

and

A CARVED HELMET

MASK WITH GRASS SKIRT ATTACHED

S&K

monopod

torso. C20th.

GUINEA

Vai tribe

helmet mask

and backswept

with typically elaborate braided

coiffure.

C20th.

15%

in

(40 cm) high

S&K

S500-900

Sowei (Mende helmet mask) topped

with a

tortoise motif. Late C19th-early C20th.

15 3M

Sande in

society

(40 cm) high

BLA

$1,000-1,500

AND

Soive/

13 3A

SIERRA

(Mende helmet mask)

in

I

N

L

E

with ridged coiffure. C20th.

(35 cm) high

swo

$400-600

THE ANCIENT SAPI The ancestors

of present-day

Mel-speaking groups

in

southern Sierra Leone were the Sapi.They produced the so-called Afro -Portuguese ivory carvings originating from

Sherbro Island, and exported to the courts of Europe from the 15th to the mid-16th century. The carvings are

exceedingly rare and include elaborate salt-cellars, spoons, and oliphants (side-blown trumpets), carved to

European designs. Similar

figures

steatite carvings (nomoli

and mahen yafe heads) are thought

associated with Sapi aristocracy, and Poro society elders use

them

in

Mende

divination.

be

The Sapi were

invaded by the northern Mam, who put an end carving traditions during the 16th

to

chiefs or

to these

and 17th centuries.

mgR-r. Sowei (Mende helmet mask), from the Sande Late C19th-early C20th. 15 3A

$2,000-3.000

in

(40 cm) high

society.

Carved wooden a-Tshol sculpture, from the Baga C19th-early C20th

IV:

in

tribe.

Late

(29.5 cm) high

$600-1,000

Rare ancient Sapi carved oliphant (trumpet) with

one damaged end. C16th. 18

$9,000-12,000

in

(46 cm) long

PHK

25

AFRICA

WEST

KEY FACTS Tribes of the area include Loma,

and

Liberia

Kpelle, Bassa, Grebo, Guro.Yaure,

Baule, Lagoons peoples. Dan, Bete,

We

(Guere and Wobe), and Senufo.

The terrain here

mostly

is

with undulating plains. There

mountainous region This

is

in

is

a

an agricultural region and the

their land

is

ceremonies and

One

reflected

in

is

(Festival of

in

zoomorphic masks

to polished,

diviner's figures

and the Baule

spirit wives.

Masks), spirits).

competitions.

The Cavalla River Basin

Ivory

Coast. Provenance: Ex Emerson Fowler

(28 cm) high

in western Liberia

is

one

type masks are

more boldly

of the most prolific art-producing areas on the

carved, with larger, angular

Guinea Coast. Around ten

shapes, tubular eyes, and

found

distinct ethnic

here, including the 350,000

speaking Dan. Below: Bete warrior's mask, from

collection. C20th. 11 in

concave-faced Dan entertainment

masks. The Senufo make elegant

are

S9.000-ll.000 JDB

ranges from mysterious, encrusted Senufo

the Fetes

Dancers wear masks embodying these

and dance

this area

produce beautiful, carved

held to venerate the du (forest

spirits

in

religious

art.

of the key festivals

des Masques

The artwork

the northwest.

close relationship between the people

and

Ivory Coast

flat

A

vast array of

groups

Mande-

bulbous foreheads, and

wood and bronze

sometimes with animal

masks, sculpture, and ethnographic items are

used by the Dan. However, predominates.

it is

the

mask

are highly collectible as they

Fischer identified almost 140

HL BL

is

copy the wide

variety of facemasks used in dances by the

The form of the masks

Farther eastward

on the Ivory Coast

is

Dan.

home

to

broadly categorized

several tribes, including the 1.5 million

by "male" or "female"

who

inhabit the savanna to the north. Their

Feminine-

style

of art shows the influence of Voltaic groups

attributes.

oval,

with slit-pierced

eyes,

and engraved

detail.

Above: Carved wooden, stylized male figure from the

Dan

The masculine-

tribe.

Late C19th-early C20th.

Sl.200-2.000 BLA

BETE MASKS The Bete

are a

group of around

200,000 Kru-speaking agriculturalists from

southwest Ivory Coast. They adapted the use of masks from their earlier

than the

first

Only Bete near the

We

neighbors not

part of the 20th century. cities

of Daloa and

Issia

use these highly stylized masks. They are

carved with

domed

foreheads and a series

of horizontal lobes, which extend over the cheeks and eyes, and join to the nostrils.

They may be studded with upholstery In the past, warriors battle,

("oast

tacks.

danced them before

but nowadays they are used by dance

societies

—

stilt

Senufo

such as the Dogon and Bamana of Mali.

type masks are often

for example, in the popular Ivory

dance.

STILT

26

and

own Dan

masks. Miniature charms in the form of masks

that

German academic Eberhard

types.

furs. Individuals

clans, rather than secret societies,

DANCER. IVORY COAST

10

in

(25.5 cm) high

E

R

COAST

IVORY

AND

ACTIVITIES men

In traditional societies,

FIGURINES

and women do not

There arc two types sculpture.

\sic

usu

mediums

Spirit

sc

ol tins

ulpture represents hush

called

recreational time

Baule figurative

commonly take

Blolo figures

represent spirit spouses, either bian (male) or bla (

I

etna

I

e

).

They

are similar to asie usu, but with

cleaned and polished surfaces. They are carved for

spouses

ol the "other world,"

at birth.

need

who were

Bad dreams are believed

to consecrate

an

altar

lelt

a Western

sense. Informal social gatherings

display these carvings during divination rituals to its.

in

spirits.

komicn (singular koinycn)

please the disgruntled asie usu spii

have

really

men would

place,

which

in

discuss local affairs

and smoke tobacco, and women

may

chat and sing together while

pounding

millet.

MANCALA

behind

to indicate the

and make offerings

to

ved male or female figures.

cat

Right: Baule tribe

Carved wooden female

Left:

usu

representing a 6/0/0 (a spouse

the form of a seated

from the

female. Late CI 9th.

in

spirit world).

C20th.

(32.5 cm) high

S900-1.400 S&K

is

made mostly

13

spirit figure

in

(33 cm) high

$3,600-6,000 BLA

Poro male

for the

initiation society. Pieces include facemasks,

small divination figures, agricultural trophy staffs, large

m

figure from the Baule tribe,

12%

Sculpture

anthropomorphic asie

One well-known pastime

is

Mancala

(from the Arabic verb ngala, "to

move" something)— a type

pombibele (rhythm pounders),

strategic count-and-capture

which sound out the beat

in

dances, and

originated

It

which are

large kasingele (bird statues),

displayed

of Africa. Different African groups

on the ground or paraded above

the head. Small items of furniture are

made and

interior decorators.

The sculpture

who

tribes,

is

are part of the

also very well

among Western

kpo, and

to

its

collectors,

It

is

ma

kpon.

It

can be played

oi the

Akan family

known.

variously, with

using simple depressions scooped in

Baule,

games

terms such as awele, ayoayo, warn,

American

are popular with

ancient Egypt, and

has become the national game

describe the

also

in

of

game.

ol

the ground, but usually involves

a board.

popular

perhaps due

realism and attention to minute

detail.

Carvers also produce delightful

miniature works of

art in the

form of

combs, slingshots, gong hammers, and heddle pulleys for the weaving looms.

Gold ornaments and gold -leaf-covered regalia are

Around

made

for courtiers.

the wetland region in southeastern

Ivory Coast are the Lagoons peoples

— they

include the Kulango, Attie, Ebrie, Abron, and Ligbi.

Their artwork reflects the influences

Left:

Dan mask

with angular

features C20th. 9'/? in (24.5

across the region, including Akan.

high

cm)

$11,000-15.000 PC

27

1

AFRICA

WEST Senufo

The most recognizable Senufo masks

are Kpeliye, characterized

oval faces, T-shaped noses, perimeter flanges of horns, wings, crests.

They may have pierced

eyes

and are worn

at a slant

by

and

on the

forehead, with the dancer peering through the costume below the

mask. Other masks represent animals, such incorporate

some elements of animals

as in the fire-spitter

mask.

Human

as

warthogs. They

(jaws, teeth, ears,

figure carvings are

may

and horns),

produced

in

differing sizes but share strong stylistic similarities, with sagittal crest coiffures, heart-shaped faces with semicircular eyes,

hands held

and

to the waist.

Carved wooden stylized

warthog mask.

Early C20th.

2VA

in

(54 cm) high

$3,600-6,000

Kpeliye tusked, horned, and dark-patinated stylized

animal mask used

ceremonies. 1920. 14V2

in

in

Poro society

(37 cm) high

$9,000-12.000

Senufo furniture has

simple forms, mostly derived

from animal imagery.

Female

figural top of a

cane awarded

C19th-early C20th.

$1,000-1.600

28

carved wooden

to productive farmers. Late

45

in

(114 cm) high

BLA

Four-legged carved c.

1900. I6V2

$360-600

in

wooden

stool

(42 cm) long

Bronze pendant figural form.

BLA

of heavily stylized

Late C19th-early C20th

2% in (7 cm) high

LIBERIA

Covered zoomorphic mirror box

AND

o! alligatoi

Kpeliye

mask

with pierced

Female human

wooden 50Va

in

staff.

figural top of a

carved

LateC19th.

to

pound

mouth, "wings,"

c.

1900.

and

40'/2

(129 cm) long

$10,000-15,000

Deble (rhythm pounder) used the ground during ceremonies,

PC

in

(103 cm) high

$45,000-70,000

scarification.

16'A

KC

in

(41.5 cm) high

$1,800-2.500

COAST

shape with carved and

incised geometric motif decoration. C20th. I'M in

$700-1,000

IVORY

(20 cm) long

PHK

AFRICA

WEST Dan masks

are

worn with

full

costumes covering the body. The masks

have different functions. The deangle mask, for example, has a shallow,

domed

forehead with median ridge,

slit

eyes with a kaolin, painted

horizontal strip, and a cowrie shell fiber cap.

and intermediary of the uncircumcised boy's figures

They

known

as In

me (wooden

helmet and beaded in

jewelry. Late

and confer

male figures are especially

rare.

Carved wooden zoomorphic mask

Carved wooden mask with

with

concave face, bulging forehead, and horns.

C19th.

Late C19th.

(53 cm) high

53,000-4,500

camp. Carved

people) are rare, and are usually female.

Carved wooden male figure with a conical

30

becomes the guardian

initiation

are portraits of the preferred wife of the chief,

prestige to their owners. Early

21

It

BLA

15%

$2,200-4,000

in

C19th-eariy C20th. 9'A

(40 cm) high

BLA

Deangle mask with

a dark patina,

S500-900

in

slit,

rolled fiber, cowrie shell,

pierced eyes, and protruding mouth. Late

(23.5 cm) high

SK

kaolined eyes and

and trade bead

attachments. C20th. IOV2

$1,000-1.500

in

(27 cm) high

SK

ERIA

r,

v.~9t

AND

IVORY

A CLOSER LOOK Gaegon masks are performance masks. spirits)

(forest spirit); they are not merely

commissioned

to carve

may be adapted used

for singing

occurrences

masks are known as gle (mask

possessed by

to perform different functions.

until

the 1960s. in

It

Artists are only occasionally

The Gaegon mask

village festivals that

is

principally

common

were

has been suggested that they were used during

the past. Today, dances are performed for tourists.

Gaegon mask without monkey

left:

it.

masks, as preferred masks are used again and again, and

and entertainment during the

executions of criminals

Below

All

because the costume-mask-dancer triumvirate actually becomes the du

fur.

(24.5 cm) high $1,800-3,000 BLA. Below face and feather beard. Early C20th. 12Vi

Late C19th-early C20th.

right: in

9%

in

Horned mask with cloth-covered

(32 cm) high $3,000-4,500 BLA -.

Narrow almond-

shaped eyes are Perimeter of the is

mask

usually covered with

ridged with concentric

bands, and for the

is

aluminum

pierced

attachment of the headpiece

0m

,/// y

Mouth sometimes

t

'

articulated, lips

>

often set with real

*

Beaked jaw or snout would be covered with

monkey

mask

fur,

pinned to the

with nails.

If

the fur

has been removed, look for tell-tale nail holes

animal teeth

Polished black patina characteristic of this

is

a

mask;

however, others have different additions (such as red cloth

and

feathers),

ornament

fits

so check which

with which

mask

*M*

COAST

AFRICA

WEST Baule One

of the oldest dances performed by the Baule uses small facemasks, called

mblo.

The masks portray ordinary human

these

is

the buffalo, the hunting of which

characters

is

and wild animals. One of

mimicked by boys and youths who

carry off the dancer at the end of the performance. Lost-wax gold maskettes

were made by Baule smiths dignitaries.

in the 19th

Nowadays, gold jewelry

figurines are highly collectible. figures resulting

from

their

is

century to ornament the hairstyles of

used to adorn carved facemasks. Baule

Look

for a characteristic patina

on

asie usu

having been anointed with chicken blood and eggs.

Solid gold with

human head pendant

bead decoration, denoting noble

birth.

C19th. 2V:

in

f6.5

cm) high

OHA

$1,800-2,200

Zoomorphic carved

wooden hammer used as a musical instrument.

Carved wooden Blolo

Maternity asie usu figure. Provenance: John Christopherson,

19'A

in

(1921-1996)

female figure

symbolizing a spouse from the

spirit

Late C19th-early C20th. 19 in (48

(49 cm) high

S3.000-5.000

32

artist

Man

PHK

S9.000-12.000

world.

cm) high

BLA

Carved wooden, black-patinated djimini

Late C19th-eariy

dance mask

C20th.

with typical

Late C19th-early C20th.

S15.000-25.000

T-shaped nose.

9% in (25 cm)

10% in

high

(27.5 cm) high

BLA

S180-350

BLA

ERIA

Carved wooden heddle

AND

IVORY

COAST

pulley, associated

with a blacksmith cult. Late C19th-early

C20th.

5%

in

(14.5 cm) high

BLA

$1,200-1,800

Carved wooden

festival

mask

with an

elaborate coiffure and raised scarification. Late C19th-early C20th.

56,000-9,000

1

7

in

(43 cm) high

BLA

Carved wooden mblo mask, depicting a buffalo head. C20th. 8V*

in

(21 cm) high

$700-1,000

33

AFRICA

WEST KEY FACTS

Tribes include Ashanti (or Asante). Ewe, Fante.

Ghana

Moba. and archaic Komaland.

The humid, tropical climate

is

In

the late 15th century, Portuguese sailors returned to Lisbon

conducive to the growth of an array

with astounding tales of of plants, flowers,

wealth of color patterns of

is

and

trees.

reflected

Ewe kente

in

kingdoms ruled by kings dripping

in

The the bright

gold. Centuries later, during the colonial era,

Ghana became

cloth.

known as "the Gold

Coast."

Natural resources include lumber and gold. Sculpted brass weights

measure

out this precious commodity and are

Ghana has

strong identity despite European

a

Textile

weaving

is

highly collectible.

influences,

The country is

and one

The Ashanti

tribe dominates.

found across West

influence over other Twi-speaking tribes (the

Africa, but the kente

Akan

cloth

chiefly

agricultural

family)

in the

is felt

the Ivory Coast.

From

first

ashantihene

(Ashanti king) established a powerful empire

with the capital last battle

Right: Ashanti proverbial in

1701, the

is

key to the economy.

brass,

at

in

in

Bonwire

is

perhaps the most

is

it

stool

(7 cm) high

Women

that a golden

descended from heaven and

since, stools

and

sat

is

The Fante

never

universally

is

tuck the figures into their skirts

and

to

are a neighboring

They carve akua-ba

wood

heads in pale

They

on or placed on the ground.

The carving of drums

girls

promote health

during pregnancy.

power. The golden stool

contains the soul of the Ashanti and

and

in order to aid fertility,

have been symbols of royalty,

political

are the

akua-ba figures with their large disklike heads.

inspired King Osei Tutu to victory. Ever

unity,

used for the national dress of Ghana.

The most famous Ashanti sculptures

with the neighboring state

of Denkyera, legend has

S70-100 PHK

recognizable symbol of African heritage, and

Kumasi. Before their

depicting birds. C19th.

2%

woven

and

cocoa production

gold weight

south and west into

are also

company

flags,

Akan group.

statuettes with rectangular

with scorched decoration.

known

for their graphic Asafo

popular with interior decorators.

important; some have elaborate Above: Ashanti kuduo brass storage vessel, with a

anthropomorphic stems, while others

scene cover and bands of geometnc and

are simply decorated with incised lines.

body. C20th.

GOLD WEIGHTS rass weights for

by

all

measuring gold dust are

Akan groups using

cast

the lost-wax method,

and can be categorized by type and date Early weights

(

1400-1720) tend to be

geometric with notched edges, the surfaces decorated with designs in low

relief.

Others are

figurative or representational

tend to date from

a later

(1720-1930). These

and

period

may depict

hunters, soldiers, domestic activities,

weapons, or proverbs. For example, a porcupine is

a

figure,

metaphor

with

its

many

spines,

for the strength of the all-

conquering Ashanti army. Weights are especially

m ^^.

collcc collectible

because of their charm and

Right: Ashanti brass geometric gold weight.

1400-1 700. l'A

34

diversity.

in

(3 cm) high

$70-100 PHK

9

in

floral

figurative

motifs to the

(23 cm) high $700-1.000 RTC

GHANA

Ashanti Akan wooden figure, seated 1

7%

in

on

fertility

a typical stool.

(45 cm) high

$1,000-1,500

Fante carved

Early C20th.

PHK

wooden akua-ba

Ashanti acron kromfi chair

doll with stylized rectangular head.

11%

S3,000-4,500

in

(30 cm) high

PC

in

wood, brass, and

Early C19th. 42'

leather.

2 in

S14.000-20.000

(108 cm) high AC

35

WEST

A

F

C

R

A

KEY FACTS Bamana

Tribes include the Dogon,

(or

Mali

Bambara), Marka, Bozo, and Tuareg. Inland Mali has a

dry, tropical climate,

with the mighty Niger River flowing

Mali

is

a melting pot of influences.

nomads

a region of

is

It

and farmers, Islam and animism. The peoples' grim

history

northeast into central Mali before

as slaves and slave traders has influenced art toward

turning south.

The majority Muslim. The

of the population

mud mosques found

this region represent

some

of the

is

is

an agricultural area and

the importance of grain

is

seen

and angles.

most

striking African architecture.

Mali

abstraction, with severe straight lines

in

in

The

traditional art of Mali includes

and

figural sculpture, as well as archaeological

masks

sculpture has been

found

in the burial

material (such as terra cotta and bronze from

caves in the

cliffs.

the Djenne culture) and

Tellem and

Dogon

the decoration of granary doors, with elaborate carving

and

dominated by two

locks.

Dogon and

groups, the In

is

Bamana.

the

characteristics are not easily distinguishable,

the 13th-16th centuries several

often merging together in one piece. Figures great empires developed capitals

in

in

Mali with

Kaarta and Segou.

A

MERGING OF INFLUENCES

with a thick encrusted patina of

The 250,000 Dogon inhabit the inhospitable Badiagara valleys.

cliffs

The

material, such as chicken blood

and surrounding plateau and

area

is

(a

displaced by the

Dogon

;."•»

to

who were

ancestor twins.

in the 15th

migrate

Nommo, one

with

people. Tellem

Dogon masks can be grouped

11

in

made

fiber), subject

or abstract), and character (predator

or quarry).

Many masks

are carved with

which eyeholes are

that echoes the architecture of the

of Djenne, Mopti, and

kanaga mask with

its

crest.

The

is

Goundam

mask has an encrusted

and protects from the avenging

masks with

societies are the

in

stylized crocodile

most

well-

use

who

use

and the

Tji

Wara

Roan antelope headdress

European

collections.

mask.

wood, with thick encrusted

patina. Late C19th-earty

C20th. 14'/:

(37 cm) high $90,000-120.000 PC

36

the

patina

of slain

terrifying gaping jaws, encrusted with

(seep.41), popular in

Dogon

The

Komo, who

sinister, thick, sacrificial patinas,

Left:

spirits

Among the Bamana,

agricultural cult,

carved

mud mosques {seep.23).

mouth and "cross of Lorraine"

crocodile

known male

two form

probably the most recognized,

beaklike

crocodiles.

cut, a

by

Bamana

is

closely

which ancestors

carvers. Early C20th.

(28 cm) high $900-1,500 BLA

into categories

according to material (wood or

vertical slots into

figural sculpture

Above: Wooden face mask with a dark brown

MASQUERADE (human

Dogon

Dogon mythical

are venerated. Artists are influenced by style

patina,

Kurumba

of eight

east,

where they became the ancestors of the

millet beer

often posed with arms

related to religious rituals in

century, previously inhabited this land.

They were forced

trait), are

stretched above the head, a gesture associated

south of the fabled city of

Timbuktu and untouched by the influence of Islam. The Tellem people,

Tellem

sacrificial

and

in

MASKED DOGON DANCI

M

Many

£5SS£:

from the

I

lib to

1

ittle is

1

known

and bronze work dating

7th centuries have been

excavated from the

site ol

ol the

I

SYMBOLS

DJENNE ART Terra-cotta sculpture

A

Djenne Djenno.

puns

use,

because

the context in which they were huind

motifs are symbolic ol a myth,

animal, or

spirit.

Dogon granaries

have doors carved with crocodiles, or rows of male

symbolizing five tiers

and female

fertility.

twins

They often form

representing the

first five

hits

mythical generations of the clan.

been destroyed. The bronze castings include pendants and bracelets, which can also be

i

seen modeled on the terra-cotta figures.

These are decorated with

a

human

designs, including serpents,

and

lull figures.

The sculpture

other traditional African sculpted

Left:

in

art, as

is

DOOR LOCKS

variety oi heads,

unlike most

the figures are

dramatic, asymmetrical postures.

Djenne-style bronze cuff with

human heads patina. C16th.

in relief

and

verdigris

2% in (7 cm) wide

$10,000-15.000 PL

conventions of the workshop, the location,

and

dialect group.

making

whom

it

A great

leaders also forge iron

variety can be found,

difficult to identify the

ancestor for

often depicting

staffs,

equestrian figures. Locks are popular with collectors

The blacksmith

the sculpture was carved.

artists

Tuareg also work with

The Mande-speaking Bamana have and are the

largest

society

in

a population

group

in Mali.

metal, creating elaborate

copper, brass, and silver-

the

this

stylistic differences

can be found

group, with variations

wooden doors adorning

in surface

among

and

patina,

and degree of naturalism or abstraction. Recent

styles,

in

named according

which the

style

They

inlaid keys for chests,

dowry

which double

granaries gifts,

the

action of the bolt through the lock of the sexual act.

Bamana

locks are carved as male figures, while those of the

surmounted

scholarship has identified

Bamana and Dogon different styles.

(see above). Locks are bridal

symbolic

Huge

in

many

are simply the bolt cases found on

VARIATIONS ACROSS A TRIBE

ot 2.5 million

of the nomadic

and are found

Dogon may be

with ancestors or horses.

as veil weights.

homogenous carving

to the region

found.

is

-»«ce»«.1m

Figural sculptures are

;,

found among the southern

Bamana, where they the context of Jo and societies.

are used in

Gwan

initiation

Also of note are the disturbing and

powerful boliw (singular,

boli)

of the Bamana.

These are quadrupedal, hump-backed figures,

altar

with thick, sacrificial patinas. They are

associated with the

Komo and

Kore

societies,

and contain immense amounts of nyama (energy),

which

malevolent

a priest

sorcerer, for

of Brancusi bears a

can channel toward

a

example. The sculpture

resemblance to these

apotropaic (anti-evil) power figures, making

them popular among

collectors.

Komo society

Bamana

Right:

anthropomorphic wooden door lock,

originally given

as a bridal

gift.

22

in

Early

C20th

(56 cm) high

$2,200-2.800 AC

37

WEST

AFRICA

Dogon Dogon

and shoulder

figures have exaggerated breasts

hair often continues that of the nose,

and the chin

is

blades.

The

While ancestor statues are hidden, masks are displayed openly ceremonies. The ancestral

and

Nommo spirit

all

Anuria,

the animals is

on the

earth.

first

Dyougou

of the

mourning

in

portrayed with rain-beseeching arms,

his twin, Yasa, holds a container of rainwater

are symbolic of the ark containing the

and

is

line

pointed or cylindrical.

on her head.

Nommo,

A

horse and rider

with his eight child twins

Sirou, the incestuous son of the

god

depicted covering his eyes in shame. Other items include door locks,

necklaces, bronze pendants

and

rings, iron staffs, stools, ladders,

and house

posts.

Carved and pierced wooden door lock

(priest). Early

C20th. 19

in

Stone and metal hogon

with polished stone pendants

(48 cm) high

links.

BLA

$1,000-1,600

Carved wooden figure

Dyougou

Carved wooden ancestor figure

of incestuous

Sirou. covering his eyes

in

shame.

C19th. ll'/2in(29cm)high

Sl.000-1.600

38

a shallow receptacle on the libations. Late

BLA

C19th. 14

$3,000-4.500

in

(priest) necklace.

mounted hogon

with an elaborate finial of a

head

with for

(37.5 cm) high

BLA

C19th-C20th. 21

in

and forged

S500-700

wooden, male and female,

Carved wooden Yasa figure with a bowl

Pair of carved

on her head. Late C19th-early C20th.

seated ancestor figures. Late C19th.

9Vi

in

27cm (10 3Ain)

(24 cm) high

$1,000-1.600

BLA

iron

(53.5 cm) long

£800-1.200

high

BLA

MALI

#

Carved wooden

facemask

with figural

crest, cowrie shell

One

of

some 20 known carved wooden Master

-style figures

from mythology,

c.

1930. 23' a

in

Carved wooden anthropomorphic door loch decorated

of Ogol"

(60 cm) high

with scarified

19 3-4

KC

$3,000-5,000

Two hogon the

left

(priest)

in

and notched geometric

earrings,

36

(50 cm) high

$1,200-2,000

and red

pompoms. C20th.

motifs. Late C19th.

BLft

in

(91.5 cm) high

$400-600

RTC

necklaces

with a stone pendant;

the right with a quartz pendant

Carved wooden mask

and tongs. C19th-C20th.

with an elongated

25

Late C19th-early C20th. 15'u

in

(63.5 cm) long

$300-500

in

the form of a highly stylized bird

beak set above the geometric face. in

(40 cm) high

$4,000-5,000

;•)

AFRICA

WEST

Bamana One

of the regional carving styles used by the

noses, zigzag or triangular

has a

more

nubile to the

body decoration,

Bamana

flat faces,

is

the "Segou style," characterized by arrow-shaped

and paddlelike hands.

sensitive feel. Jo association sculptures, nyeleni (little

women, and young male

are rendered with ideal attributes of a long neck

initiates.

Gwan

In the south,

"Bougouni

style"

ornaments), are always carved as standing

and conical

breasts.

They

act as insignia

sculpture acts as a memorial for deceased twins of each gender

gwandusu, male guantigi), and during ceremonies the figures are tended and

sacrifices are

made

(

female

to

them.

wiiji

\w

\m>

Wooden zoomorphic mask

with

an extended mouth and

kaolined eyes. Late C19th-early C20th.

24 3A

in

(63 cm) high

BLA

$1,500-2.000

SHARED INFLUENCES Bamana

The masks of the those of other Mali

Malinke— but (see

p. 22)

tribes,

tribe are very similar to

such as the Marka, Bozo, and

with significant distinctions.

Marka masks

resemble the crested designs used by the

Bamana N'tomo

society, but are covered with cloth

and

metal strips or sheets, with tresses to the sides. The

masks

of the

Bozo are similar

to

Marka and Bamana

masks, but are more rounded— often depicting

buffalo.

Malinke masks are more stylized and angular, and show

Carved wooden gwandusu female

Carved wooden gwandusu female figure, with clasped hands,

c.

1910. 22V*

SI. 600-2,000

40

in

(58 cm) high

its

JBB

sides, c.

2890. 20

$1,800-2,200

in

figure, with

arms by

Bamana

(51 cm) high

Senufo

JBB

traits

as well as similarities to the work of the

of the Ivory

Coast (see

p. 28).

MALI

Segou-style figure with

flat

face, arrow-

shaped nose, and splayed hands. Late C19th-early C20th. 24>/2

in

(62 cm) high

BLA

$3,000-4,500

N'fomo

society'

dance mask

with

characteristic comblike structure. Late

C19th-early C20th. 21'A

$4,500-6,000

in

(54 cm) high

BLA

II

WEST

A

F

C

R

A

KEY FACTS Tribes include the Bwa, Bobo, Mossi, Lobi,

Burkina Faso

The

lies inland in the

southern part of the sub-Saharan belt of

Burkina Faso

Kurumna, and Tusyan.

Faso are renowned

tribes of Burkina

panel-shaped and

for their

dramatic

masks.

brightly colored abstract

savanna known as Western Sudan.

A small number

The dusty plains reach top temperatures from February onward.

By then the harvest

is

tree

is

used

wood known as

for

important for the

worn

in

cotton

mask-making.

lightweight quality

is

tall

figurative sculptures.

and

activities.

Light, pliable

realistic

complete and

the farmers have time for social

ceremonial

produce austere,

of tribes also

Its

There are around 60 different subgroups of

The 250,000 Lobi

peoples in this area. Most produce masks for

live to

ceremonies, often worn with a costume. The

straddling the border

Bwa number around

with Ivory Coast. Their

the southwest,

particularly

Bwa masks

area

ceremonies.

300,000 and inhabit the

around the Black Volta River bend. Most

have animist

beliefs, attributing

conscious

to sacred objects. In the south, they

dances are performed without masks. Instead, artists

life

nwantanta (plank) masks. These can be up to

6'/2 ft (2

m)

heads, and

of the

ceremonies. They depict

(see below), carve

Bwa and

human

ladders. live to

the west

carve large zoomorphic and

anthropomorphic helmet masks with painted decoration. Their

creatures such as butterflies,

Bamana

antelopes, and birds and

work shows elements of

realism as well as the abstract

work

of the Mossi. Mossi masks have oval or almond-

eature rectilinear motifs signifying myths.

make wedge-cut

The 100,000 Bobo people

long and

are used in domestic

believe that these

produce bateba figures

three-legged stools ornamented with

produce

The Bwa

shaped faces with supporting

masks become

antlers, tall

plank superstructures, or figure

narrow

crests.

inhabited by supernatural clan spirits,

who

protect the owner's Above: Mossi carved wooden figure with arms characteristically

family from harm. Other masks are

made from

leaves

and

set apart from the body. Mid-late C19th.

S6.000-10.000 BLA

fibers.

BATEBA FIGURES The two types of bateba

figures are used as

repositories for the thil (supernatural spirits)

venerated in Lobi culture. They are often carved with rounded heads and coffee-bean eyes, barrel torsos,

The

first

shrine

and block

type, thil du,

is

feet

and hands.

placed in household

rooms and anointed with

sacrificial

material to avert misfortune and ensure the goodwill of ancestors. Figures with splayed arms protect against dangerous thil.

The second type

is

known

duntundora and can be over 20 (50

cm)

high.

They

rom hard wood, expressions.

They

as in

are often carved

with severe

facial

are also placed in the

Lobi shrine in times of distress and

assume the anguish of the

sufferer.

Right: Thil spirit figure originally

placed

11

42

in

in

a domestic shrine,

c.

1940

(28 cm) high $500-900 JBB

BATEBA FIGURES

IN

A SHRINE

1PA

in

(30 cm) high

URKINA

FASO

AFRICA

WEST

KEY FACTS Tribes in the north include the Nupe,

Nigeria

Hausa, Dakakari, Nok, Afo, Jukun, Wurkun.Tiv,

Mama, and

Chamba, Mumuye, Bura.

In

Koro,

and Cross

(including the Niger delta

River region) are the Igbo, Igala, Idoma,

Urhobo, Ogoni,

Ibibio,

Efik,

Nigeria

is

the largest African coastal country and, with

the southeast

Annang, Oron,

Mbembe, and

southwest are the Yoruba,

most populous country on the

million citizens, the

and

continent. The cultural

artistic traditions of this

vast area

Eket,

Ekoi. In the

Bini.

around 100

date back 2,000 years to the Nok terra-cotta.

and Edo.

Traded copper and brass from Portuguese merchants encouraged artistic

production

in

casting centers

The country

is

The Yoruba

geographically divided along a

north-to-south

axis,

based on

rainfall

and

are

the largest ethnic

and

such as Benin.

vegetation. In the northern region, savanna

group

Ancient terracotta sculpture has

and desert allow the cultivation of millet,

number around

been found

and groundnuts. The

at Nok,

Ife,

in

archaeological sites

Dakakari, and Owo.

Coastal tribes such as the

Ijo,

the

who

are fishermen as well as farmers,

carve unusual horizontal masks

tribes are

dominated by

Hausa language and Islamic

survive in their

own

leaderless

rice,

in Africa

15 million.

Over

a 300-year

period, the transatlantic slave trade expropriated

25 million West Africans, of which only about

religion, but

communities

15 million even survived the journey.

They were

resisting the cultural incursions of Islam.

destined for the plantations of the European

South of the convergence of the Benue and

colonies in the

Niger Rivers, the forested region begins; this

of slavery in Europe by the 19th century, a

depicting aquatic animals.

eventually coast.

becomes mangrove swamp on the

The major Nigerian

dominated by the Igbo

(also

Yoruba peoples. Agriculture

further four million were transported in that century. Consequently, Yoruba traditions are

located in

cities are

the predominantly Christian south.

known

The

area

practiced in

is

and

as Ibo)

New World. Despite the abolition

many countries

across the world,

including Brazil, Trinidad, and Cuba. Several powerful city-states

in the south

includes cash crops of cocoa and rubber.

Nigeria, producing now-rare

emerged

in

works of art

for

Above: Carved wooden dance crest with a white-painted naturalistic face, by the

14V*

in

Idoma people. Late C19th-early C20th.

(36 cm) high $1,400-2.000 BLA

METAL CASTINGS Nigeria's metal castings are principally alloys of copper, mined in Niger as

T

Bronze

found

artifacts

The

in the lower Niger River area.

to the 19th century. all

demi-lune shape, in relief.

witti

an

of

alligator

C18th-C19th. 6V2

in

(16.5 cm) high $1,800-2,500

made using object

is

1

Benin castings were made

the lost-wax technique: an

modeled

in clay,

then covered again in

covered in wax,

clay.

Once baked,

S&K the

wax melts

to reveal a cavity into

which molten metal

is

poured.

Right: Yoruba lost-wax

cast bronze bracelet. C17th.

2% in (7 cm) high

$5,000-9,000 PC

44

1000

bce.

Between the 12th and

from the 5th

By the 19th century,

from European brass. Castings were Above: Benin bronze plaque

as

among

the Yoruba in

technology disseminated south to Benin, which produced

brass of extremely high quality

virtually

made from

back

from the 8th— 10th centuries have been

15th centuries, brass castings developed Ife.

far

NIGERIA YORUBA

COLONIAL FIGURES

DEITIES

The homogeneity of Yoruba art reflects

Celebrated

Thomas Ona Odulate

artist

produced carvings for is

commercial

ol British

The

sale.

style of the

that of Ijebu-Ode, his

he began carving

in his

colonials

I

home

work

before

agos studio

in

the domination of various cults,

whose

ceremonies are practiced among Yoruba people. These include the twin cult, Epa, Egungun,

all

Ibeji

and Gelede

masquerades, Obgoni and Oshanym metalwork

and

cults,

Ifa divination.

the 1940s. The pieces are painted u ith

imported red and black

The

whitener.

ink,

and shoe

figures are presented in

their formal regalia,

PANTHEON OF GODS

symbolic of the power

imposed on fellow Nigerians.

institutions

The "characters" include The Clergyman The

(as seen here),

Commissioner,

District

The Doctor, and The Lawyer. Colonial

many

figures arc also carved by

other

African tribes, including the Baule,

Tsonga, Nguni, and Kamba.

Left: Pair of colonial figures, the

male with kaol'n pigment,

religious

carved by Yoruba

artist

Odulate. Mid-C20th. high

Thomas Ona

10V4

(26 cm)

in

S900-1.200 SK

Yoruba Ifa."

a

Ifa

divination bowl Agere

When Yoruba

babalawo

onsha (pantheon the child

is

children are born,

(diviner) identifies the of gods) with

which

associated. Sacrifices are

subsequently

made

shrines. The

in

domestic

most important

orisha are Eshu (the trickster).

a

period of over seven centuries. These

In the northeast, the

include the spiritual center of the Yoruba

at

Mumuye, who

Ogun

and

(the god of iron

war),

live in

Shango (god

of

thunder and lightning),

Ile-Ife(Cllth-15th),Ijebu(C16th-18th),Owo (C13th-16th), and

Oyo

(CI 5- 19th). The 20th

century saw the advent of

new

political systems.

the hills below the River,

make

sculptures.

the

Benue

most

The

Obatala (the gentle god),

Oshanyin (the god

striking

herbalists),

figures are

Oshun

of

(the

female god of water), and

The Igbo and Niger Delta peoples southeast of the Yoruba. of tribes in this area

is

The

local

live

autonomy

reflected in the artworks.

elongated, with angular legs

Oko

and arms (angled

Olorun

at the

elbows)

(the god of farming). is

the supreme being

and there are no images

carved free of the sides and

him. C20th.

Many

styles exist

between

villages.

within each tribe, varying

wrapped around

Moreover, the

torso. Coiffure

groups

different ethnic

related than styles within the

group. For example,

masks

styles of

may be more

many

same

Ekoi people far east

live

Igbo and Idoma

are used for divination

in the

and healing, or

Nigerian Ekoi produce monolithic sculptures representing akwanshi (sacred chiefs).

They

range in size from 12 in (30 cm) to 6V2

ft

(2

as

from between the

16th and 19th centuries. {See pp. 52-55 for the

Cameroon

Ekoi.)

$9,000-12,000 PHK

a crest §L

act

guardians or status

symbols

m) Right:

to date

of

(23 cm) high

female figures. They

The

of Nigeria and into Cameroon. The

and are thought

in

are usually pierced in

cultural

along the Cross River,

may be

and the septum and earlobes

closely

are almost indistinguishable.

the tubular

9

for elders.

Wooden

shrine figure

of a kneeling bowl-bearer

Late C19th-early C20th.

14

in

(35.5 cm) high

S3.000-4.500 BLA

45

AFRICA

WEST

1

Yoruba woman's wrap, ikat-dyed of indigo to

C20th.

67

in

shades

produce a striped pattern. Early

in

(170 cm) long

$1,400-1.800

mask worn on

Rare carved wooden mask with an

Ijo

ancient patina, by the Tiv people.

the head, so that the spirits can see

C19th. 11

in

(28 cm) high

89,000-14,000

water

spirit

C19th-early C20th. 25'A

JDB

in

EFI

the top of it.

Late

(64 cm) high

SI. 600-2.200

BLA

Carved and pigmented wooden figure with elongated features

and

overly large

Mumuye people. Late C19th-eariy C20th. 45 in (114 cm) high earlobes, from the

BLA

$10,000-16.000

Wooden anthropomorphic pouring cup 24>/2

in

I

Ekwotame seated female wooden

drinking and jeople. C20th.

(62 cm) high

$27,000-36.000

representative of

Idoma

Late C19th-early C20th.

SK

$10,000-16,000

figure

tribe ancestors.

32

in

(81 cm) high

BLA

Large carved stone akwanshi monolith

Wooden Mumuye

representative of Ekoi tribe ancestors.

apotropaic, and rain-making. Late

C16th-C19th. 42V*

$14,000-25.000

in

(107 cm) high

figure for divination,

C19th-eahy C20th.

BLA

$1,800-2.500

1

7% in (45 cm)

high

BLA

46

ife

NIGERIA Nok Terra-cotta sculptures dating early 1440s near the

Unfortunately,

on the

town

illegal

intcrnation.il

variation in style

oi

from 400

bi

Nok, on the

i

ii> 2()(

>


in

(37 cm) high

$2,200-3,000

in

Brass divination cup cast

head with a standing

PHK

$900-1,200

in

the form of a

human

figure handle-finial. C19th.

5'A

in

(13.5 cm) high

S&K

19

WEST

A

F

C

R

A

Niger Delta The Niger Delta peoples include the Igbo,

known

white-faced

for marionettes,

mmwo (maiden

masks, alusi (tutelary ikenga

(

spirit)

deities),

household heads, and are used

good

and

shrine figures). Ikenga are

luck,

and strength.

owned by

for protection,

Ibibio, west of the

Cross River, produce masks and figures with fleshy-looking articulated limbs, used in their

Ekpo ancestor "beautiful"

cult.

are either white

masks or black "fierce" masks. The

Idoma occupy state.

Ekpo masks

the central area of the

They use anjenu

Benue Carved wood

(serene spirit figures) in Igbo

ceremonies to ensure crests

carved with

finials are

used

human

Carved Eket tribe mask

50

in

of ovoid

mask

with pigment, shell, raffia,

and

leather,

from

defined with pigment.

fruit

and harvest time.

of circular

mask

form, facial features

Igbo

heads and stylized

at funerals

Late C19th-early C20th. 6V*

$1,800-2,200

and wealth. Dance

fertility

the Nri-Awka region. C20th. 9'/2 in (24

$1,200-1.800

cm) high

C19th. 8V*

S&K

in

(21 cm) high

$900-1,500

Igbo tribe carved

form with painted decoration.

fiber base.

(16 cm) high

BLA

C20th.

$2,500-3,000

wooden female head

2VM

in

crest on a woven

(55.25 cm) high

S&K

N

Characteristically small

wooden human facemask horn

the Ogoni tribe. Late C19th-early C20th. 6V2

Igbo Ikenga (cult of the hand) figure with large horns, symbolizing strength, power, and courage. Late C19th-early in

(49 cm) high

BLA

S500-900

IGBO COSTUME mmanwu

Agbogho

mask, wear a the

mask

dancers, who wear the

tight-fitting

costume (see

mmwo

right).

Both

(not shown) and the costume represent an

idealized notion of feminine crest represents

an elaborate

beauty— the openwork coiffure

and the costume

patterns represent female body decoration. The different pieces of colored cotton fabric are

together using the applique technique outfit.

in

sewn

a two-piece

Both costume (body) and mask (head) must be

seen together

in

order to understand the symbolism of

the masquerade. Note the gloved hands,

padded Adult polychromatic

breasts,

and umbilical hernia. Male dancers perform

woven dance costume

holding fans, whisks, or mirrors. They appear to depict

from the Igbo not particular ancestors, but general female character c.

types from the

spirit

1960.

world.

$300-500

(16.5 cm) high

BLA

$400-700

C20th. 19'A

in

tribe,

Ibibio tribe

dance mask,

G

L

R

I

with cicatrice scars on the

forehead and beside the eyes. C20th. 9

$900-1,500

I

in

(22.5 cm) high

BLA

A

WEST

AFRICA

KEY FACTS Tribes in the west include the Tikar (including the

and Bamileke (including the Bangwa,

Batcham, Bagam, Menjo) Grasslands.

Mambila,

In

Cameroon

Bamun, Kom, Babanki)

in

the north are the Fulani,

Kirdi,

In

the 1890s, Gustav Conrau acquired a sculpture of a

woman

from

the

Namji, and Dowayo.

In

the Bangwa. He could never have imagined that almost a century later,

"Bangwa Queen" would become the most

the $3.4 million

the forest and Nigerian borderlands

and coast are the

Ekoi,

Ejagham,

expensive work of African art ever to be sold.

Keaka, Mbembe, and Duala.

Grasslands art institutions

reflects the secret

surrounding

royal portraits are

royalty.

Bangwa

extremely rare and

Nomadic

art

Fulani produce artworks that easily,

such as large

of

Cameroon can be divided

west

a plateau

is

motifs include spiders, snakes, crocodiles, and

into

The Cameroon grassland

geographical groups. in the

dramatic pieces.

can be carried

The

known

as the Grasslands,

with scattered mountain peaks. Tribes here have quite a different artistic style

from those

who

live

gold earrings and carved bowls.

in the far

Duala art was greatly influenced

dense forested area that borders Nigeria and

by contact with European traders.

the Cross River valley,

Stools were carved for sale, and brightly painted ships'

prows echoed

northern savanna region,

and

at

Animal masks include the elephant mask

made from

the beaded cloth of the Bamileke,

and the buffalo helmet mask, which powerful of all animal masks.

A

is

the

most

variety of other

items are found in this region, such as large

in the

house posts and doors, beds, drums, carved

the southern coast

ivory,

around Duala.

The

lizards.

tribes of the Grasslands region are

and buffalo-horn drinking cups, reserved

for chiefs. Brass pipe bowls, masks,

and necklaces

are also cast to a very high quality

and the

royal

Portuguese fishing boat design.

organized in political groupings ranging from

beaded

fragmentary nature of the

many hundreds

homogeneity. The sculpture and masks

almond

The Tikar

Each chiefdom

who

is

is

with brass wire.

ruled by a Fon (chief

whose influence overarches

He

is

different

chosen by the

kwifon (palace society) elders from

among

royal clan. Royal statuary reinforces the

the

image of

the benevolent, prosperous, and bountiful leader.

Bamileke, commemorative images of his

heir) are carved

queen (often nursing the infant

when he

is

enthroned, and serve as

reminders of the monarch and his dynasty when he

The

1 1

th

King of the Bamun, Njoya, stands

out as the most influential chief in the whole of Grasslands history.

Bamileke buffalo mask only to be worn by the chief. 28'/4 in

(72 cm) high

S2. 500-4,500

52

PHK

of which trace their ancestry

Above: Grasslands carved horn drinking cup, ornamented

regarded as sacred, and

ethnic communities.

dead.

separate

teeth,

and beards. Zoomorphic

or king)

is

all

composed of over 30

back to an original Tikar group 300 years ago.

CHIEFDOM

and

are spectacular.

the Grasslands:

eyes, semicircular ears,

fiber wigs,

the king

are

kingdoms,

humans, with wide

open mouths with carved

Among the

and thrones

the 350,000 Tikar and the 700,000 Bamileke.

of

small societies, the art produced has great

often portray

stools

Two groups dominate

small chiefdoms to large kingdoms. Despite the

TRADITIONAL CHIEF DRESS IN

NORTHEAST CAMEROON

IV/t

in

(30 cm) long $700-1,000 PHK

CAMEROON SKIN The skin of slaves or slain enemies

was once stripped from the body, Carved wooden

Left:

doll with metal

fertility

adornments and

geometric features typical of the Namji. C20th.

10%

in

(27 cm)

FERTILITY FIGURES In

northern

i

!ameroon, delightfully stylized

narrow bodies

figures arc carved with

$700-1,200 BLA

high

and limbs, and small round heads. These can be found

among

the

Dowayoand

unadorned, they are regarded

When

they arc

Namji.

to

cover the

headdresses produced and used in

human

and used

stretched,

various societies in Cameroon.

Nowadays, however, untreated leopard or antelope skin

employed.

is

When

as dolls for play.

ornamented with beadwork

MASKS

SKIN

.uk\

doth, however, they become empowered, ind act as

fertility figures,

similar to the

Ashanti mm\ Fante akua-ba (doll). The 1

im\, no believe that the effectiveness

ol the

carving to influence pregnancy

depends

chiefly

on the

artist's

success

with lathering children.

Left:

Namji

fertility doll with

beads and cowrie C20th. 10'a

in

shells.

(26 cm) high

$1,500-1,800 EL

Ekoi mask, with leopard skin and

human

from Nigeria. Skin-

skull,

covered masks and headdresses are

used by most

tribes

area, both

Cameroon and

in

including the Ekoi,

The group

collectively

named Bamileke

refer

to themselves

by the names of the 90 or so

subtribes that

make up

Ejagham. Skin

is

in

the Cross River

Efik,

Nigeria,

Keaka, and

stretched over a

carved wooden base, stained with black and white details, cane or metal

mu po

the coalition. Their

(small figures representing pregnant

women)

teeth are set

mask

and healing ceremonies. Their palaces are

with

human

lintels

is

the open mouth, and

studded with pegs or

applied with a human-hair wig. The

are held during anti-witchcraft

constructed with

in

the cranium

is

either set

above a woven

cap, or worn as a helmet. They

came

and posts carved

in

various animal

figures; other figurative crocodile

posts are planted to bar entrances to

horns;

masks

and

with coiled

in realistic

human

form with one to four faces.

the building.

LateC19th. IOVa

The

spirit

forms, including antelope and

Kirdi in the north fashion

high

in

(26 cm)

$25,000-30,000 PL

small objects in metal and leather for

adornment, while the Mambila,

who,

like

the Ekoi, straddle the Nigerian

border, carve ancestor figures as receptacles to

honor

their fickle clan spirits, ensuring

health, fertility,

and prosperity. They

are

usually carved expressively, with a large triangular face, peg coiffure,

almond

eyes

and mouth, bent arms, and powerful squat legs.

They

are regularly painted in red, white

and black,

as are their

in agricultural

masks of dogs, used

ceremonies.

Left: Ekoi

mask, with

antelope skin over a

wooden base and human

12Min(31 cm)

hair.

C20th.

high

$9,000-12,000 PL

53

WEST

AFRICA

Metal and fiber "cache-sex" (modesty apron). Late C19th. 6

Bamileke "boubou" garment made from woven and embroidered hemp. Early C20th. 51'A

in

(130 cm)

in

(15.5 cm) long

higt,

Sl.400-2,000

Ekoi ritual dance head

Late C19th. 14'A

$900-1,800

54

in

in

Prestige stool carved with

wood, paint, and bronze.

human and animal heads, from

the Bamileke. Late C19th. 27'A

(36 cm) high

BLA

$1,400-2.000

in

Ekoi Janus helmet mask,

Late C19th. 23'A

(69 cm) high

BLA

$7,000-12.000

in

made

from wood and leather.

(59 cm) high

BLA

CAMEROON

55

L

.Mn

CENTRAL AFRICA Central African art

is

enormously varied due

the artistic richness of the cultures within the

in

masks and sculpture from

it.

immense

to the

There

a

is

this region, but there

size of the region

and

tendency toward naturalism is

also dramatically abstract

work to be found here.

The

artworks are truly for royalty

heart of Africa consists of landlocked

Central African Republic, the equatorial

majority

countries of Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, the

sociopolitical leadership,

is

—

rather, the

associated with various kinds of

from

elders to chiefs.

Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo,

and Angola

MIGRATION AND ABSORPTION

kingdoms have

in the south. Several

developed here, including the Kongo on the Atlantic shores, the

and the Luba River.

To the south

Both

is

years, during

and matrilineal kinship

the

are

it is

used.

rites,

which occur

throughout the

Compared

to

at

of

lives

hunters

1902.

men and women.

at

the

sculpture

is

and

The Congo

backdrop

and fortune

forests

and

for the story of

river

provide the

humanity

the selection of a certain

The Central African landscape

is

dense

tropical rainforest,

forest

and savanna. Almost

and open all

groups

some form of agnculture, tend goats and sheep, and fish (as seen here practice Extremely rare wooden facemask with feather in

and a woven

13>/2 in

56

fabric neckpiece, from the

society of the Congo. Early C20th.

(34 cm)

high

$20,000-30,000 JDB

the Democratic Republic of Congo).

Hunting

these

wood for

prescribed by the psychic nature of the

inhabited along forested river valleys,

Beembe

in the

shadow of European imperialism.

few

LANDSCAPE AND CULTURE

crest

built

end of the 19th century inspired

The forest holds great symbolic meaning for peoples,

become

were

Joseph Conrad to pen Heart of Darkness in

initiation

cultures,

1482 and converted the Kongo

practices of Belgian colonials

various periodic stages

West African

mouth of

and ambassadors sent to Lisbon. The horrific

Of central

importance to most peoples are the

in

arrived at the

chiefly insignia. Eventually, churches

commissioned and inherited, but has

which

Congo

first

motifs were assimilated and adapted to

way artworks

no influence on the type of object, nor the ritual context in

their

King to Christianity. Christian objects and

The type

axis.

of lineage system determines the

characterized by

which newcomers and

Portuguese ships

systems are found in this region, roughly dividing along a north to south

is

customs were absorbed into existing groups.

the loosely centralized

Lunda-Chokwe.

patrilineal

history of the region

continual migrations over a period of 2,000

in the Kasai valley,

upper reaches of the Congo

in the

society of the

Kuba

The

game

is

an important social

activity involving collective

ceremonies.

tree.

legaB

NGBAKA

LUBA

KUYUQ

HEMBAQ MANGBETUD

n

FORAGER

ITURI

Carved and scarified

GABON

wooden ceremonial facemask from

fangB

Ngbaka

punuD

the

Late

C19th-early C20th.

10'A

kotaD TSOGHO

tribe.

in

(26 cm) high

$15,000-20,000 BLA

U

Fang

KWELE

tribe

wooden dance mask

with

L

MBOLE

white pigment, denoting the ancestral world. Late C19th-early C20th.

IV

KIIBA

2 in

(29 cm) high $5,000-9,000 BLA

CONGO RIVER BASIN

T

KETE

SALAMPASU

KWESE

TEKE

Qyaka

KONGO

[Dsuku PENDi

Carved ivory Bwami society figure used

Wooden

fetish

the Lega

from

C18th-C19th. 7 3A

m

(19.5 cm) high $8,000-10,000 JDB

figure from the Teke tribe, with typical

Salampasu

columnar torso and

knife with a tooled leather

arms bent

scabbard and part

at right

angles. Late C19th. 1 7 in

in storytelling,

tribe.

lion's

(43 cm) high

tribe hunter's

of a

mane. C19th. 23 3A

in

(60 cm) long $1,000-1,500 EL

$5,000-9,000 BLA

JABWA

Z

LUBA

SONGYE

ANGOLA

KUSU

CHOKWE lunda

LWENA

OVIMBUNDU

Pende

tribe

typically

C19th. 10'/2 high

Right:

In

the 17th century, the

wooden mask

with

downcast eyes. Late in

(26.5 cm)

$30,000-40,000 AC

Chokwe

encountered Renaissance-style chairs that Portuguese traders brought from

southern Europe. They with status

became

identified

and were quickly copied and

Chokwe

tribe chair,

its

embellished with Chokwe motifs drawn

form inspired by post- 17th-

from myths, history, and everyday

century imported Portuguese

Upemba-style ancestral

models, and with carved

figure with a libations patina,

life.

These "Africanized" chief's thrones became integrated into

Chokwe

culture

and were

passed down through generations.

figures. Late

C20th.

24

in

C19th-early (61 cm) high

$2,000-2,500 BLA

from the Luba people. Late

C19th.

20 3Ain(53cm)

$15,000-20,000 BLA

37

CENTRAL AFRICA KEY FACTS

Gabon

Tribes include Fang, Kwele, Punu.

Tsogho, Vuvi, Ambete, and Kota.

The rituals

The reliquary guardians and masks of Gabon are regarded

of initiation societies

involve the use of symbols, mainly

in

the West as masterpieces of African

art.

Their astonishing

carved wood sculptures and masks, as well as authority emblems. They are

forms were

first

appreciated

in

Modernist

artistic circles in

centered on the propitiation of ancestral spirits

and divination through the use

Europe at the beginning of the 20th century.

of medicinal plants.

The traditional economy

is

dominated

The

inaccessibility of the rainforest,

They

wet climate,

also carve red

by hunting, fishing, and food gathering,

and poor

soil

and white painted

have largely precluded agricultural

while the sociopolitical structures are

settlement in Gabon, and shifting communities

based on kinship.

establish themselves in the coastal valleys Christian missionaries

the

1930s influenced

in

the

Gabon

after this

made

decade.

guardians for reliquary bundles. The other

in

Ogowe

Punu and

River groups carve the white okuyi,

in

artwork-

reliquary guardians (see below)

were no longer

and

Ogowe

the

and

River Basin

and sculptures made by

become among

region have after

and expensive

The Fang

Masks

representing the spirit of a beautiful maiden.

These serene masks are worn by stilt-walking

from across the

the

most sought-

Western

in the

encouraging copies and

tributaries.

its

tribes

art

market,

initiates

and appear

or dusk.

The Ambete

contain ancestor

Guinea, and the very south of Cameroon. They maintain social cohesion via two

in initiation

cavities

eastern region,

is

and

dominated by the variety of reliquary

guardians they produce, rendered in

Fang's three-legged stools and harps are

used

whose hollow

dawn

for their

rare helmet masks. Their sculptural

output

masks associated with them. The

known

relics.

The Kota occupy the

make

societies, called

So and Ngil, that cut across clan lineages. Both

^^

are best

freestanding guardians

fakes.

inhabit the northwest, Equatorial

societies have

in the half-light of

a

two-

dimensional form. Other Kota items include

ceremonies. South of the

stools

and elegant bird-shaped

knives.

Fang are the Tsogho, Punu, and Ambete.

The Tsogho carve

large

flat

Above: Punu tribe ancestral wooden

masks painted

white with a distinct double-arched brow.

8

in

(20 cm) high $2,000-3,000 BLA

RELIQUARY GUARDIANS Both the Kota and Fang in containers,

tribes stored the

bones of ancestors

which were surmounted by a carved

The Fang

guardian.

nlo byeri (carved heads)

(standing or seated figures) were

bark boxes. There are

many

figure

and eyema

mounted on

byeri

cylindrical

regional styles, but they generally

share a set of features including a cylindrical torso, both hands

rounded buttocks and

holding

a

calves, a

round head with heart-shaped

chin.

The

receptacle, bent legs with

surface

may have

face,

and

a desirable oily patina.

a

pointed

Kota ngulu

(guardians) are two dimensional and anthropomorphic, and are covered with sheets or strips of brass

and copper. They are

carved with stylized faces upon an open lozenge body, and are planted in

Left:

Fang

tribe

figure carved

in

a

C20th. 19

in

mbulu (woven

male reliquary

wood and

to the Byeri cult. Late

related

C19th-early

(48.5 cm) high

$20,000-30.000 BLA

58

mask

with white

pigmentation and a bifurcated coiffure. Late C19th-early C20th.

basket).

Right: Kota reliquary figure with

a crescent coiffure and lateral flanges, covered

C19th. 22'A

in

in

brass. Late

(56.5 cm) high

$10,000-18.000 BLA

GABON

Tsogho reliquary bundle

in

human head and neck and body. Early C20th.

$5,000-9,000

14'A

in

the form of a a

rope-bound

wooden mask

Carved wooden reliquary figure from the

Punu

Ambete

pigmented face, including

tribe.

C19th. 21Va

in

(54 cm) high

(36 cm) high

tribe

Late C19th. 15Vi

BLA

$80,000-100,000

KC

$12,000-16,000

in

with coiffure

and

Fang

tribe Byeri cult

mounted on

scarifications.

(39 cm) high

C20th. 9

JDB

in

wooden head

a plinth. Late C19th-early

(23 cm) high

$20,000-30,000

BLA

59

CENTRAL AFRICA KEY FACTS Tribes include Kuyu.Teke, Kongo

Congo

River Basin

Woyo.Yombe, Solongo, Beembe)

(Vili,

Ngbaka

Salampasu, Songye,

Teke,

The sublime sculpture of the Luba, Kuba, and Hemba shattered

Yaka, Pende, Lega, Kuba (Wongo,

Bushoong, Ndengese), Suku,

Lele,

Tabwa, Mbala, Mbole, Lwalwa.

early 20th-century Western preconceptions

These

about precolonial

art.

groups had been creating exceptional artworks long

cultural

Mangbetu, Luba, Hemba, Bembe,

and

Ituri

before the "civilizing" influence of the missionaries.

Forager (Pygmy).

Portuguese sailors converted the Kongo King Locally

became

in

A

in

the 19th

I

carved tusks from the

Loango region

Congo

have important roles in

River

miles (750,000 square kilometers).

tourist trade

the European

In the heart of Africa, the majestic

drains a dense forest of 290,000 square

major

a

commodity century.

1491.

crucifixes then

status symbols.

was

Ivory

to Christianity in

made

satisfied

demand

communities. Perhaps because of their

Its

tributaries extend into the plains of the

Uele, Kasai,

1.5 million

all

of almost

The

Bantu

designs

origin,

believe in a single creator, of

human

follows the

square miles (4 million

square kilometers).

common

Congo peoples

whom no images are

and Shaba, and encompass

a vast geographical area

many

made. Sculpture generally

form, with the marks and

on men and women's bodies

also being

carved on cult sculpture. These marks are

People's

for "curios."

Republic of Congo and the Democratic Lega Bwami society

Republic of

Congo

in this area.

Each has changed

regarded as beautiful and are simultaneously

acknowledged

are both included

as signs.

The sculpture becomes

ivory paraphernalia is rare

due

a

its

book of messages, readable only by

colonial authority's

name

since colonial times (they

were

initiates (the

mistrust of secret societies

known

and the ban on the

and Congo

Brazzaville, then as Belgian

Congo and

we

ivory trade.

respectively as French

Zaire); here

region as a whole called

Congo

commonly

circumcision, and ordeal Initiation

The Congo.

are used as are

charms protecting the

forest spirits

and ensuring

nature

the Lega tribe. Early C20th. 14'A in (36

$2,000-3.000 BLA

tribes of Central Africa play harps, finger

pianos, drums, large

peoples,

used

Among

slit

gongs, whistles, and

the Yaka

and neighboring

mukoku (handheld

in rituals

specialists).

slit

gongs) are

performed by nganga

This gong (see

left)

(ritual

originates

from the northern Yaka. The gong

signals the

nganga 's presence and provides the rhythm for his chants

during ngooinbu (divination). The

neck of the gong would be encircled by a fiber loop threaded through a short baton. Typical features of northern Yaka gongs are semi-closed eyes, Carved wooden

diminutive chin, pierced

markings.

Mukoku

ears,

and

facial tear

are multifunctional and can

gong from the northern

be used as containers to mix herbal medicines

Yaka peoples, with

or

carved

and a 16 3A

Miniature gongs are used as charms.

C20th.

(42.5 cm) high

$1,000-1,500 FRE

60

scats.

human head

coiffure. in

.is

for example, initiate

Above: Carved wooden Bwami society figure from

nkisi (spirit receptacles)

trumpets.

initiation.

MUSICIANS IN MANIEMA IN COSTUME FOR DEVILS DANCE

from

fertility later in life.

spirits,

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS The

mark

masks among the Yaka,

held beliefs. Ancestor

cults, witchcraft,

and

ancestor figures of the Beembe,

Lulua, and Luba are examples). Seclusion,

refer to the

Throughout the region there

Right:

the cult

to the Belgian

cm) high

CONGO

RIVER

A

S

N

I

ADORNING MASKS N

Most wooden masks used

in

dance,

tid

ritual,

or performance arc part of a costume, which

can to

moan anything from

merely

fiber fringes.

a

whole body

Masks

suit

arc usually

"dressed" with additional materials such as teeth, hair,

bone, berries, metal, cloth,

ot feathers.

These adornments arc

sho-

Left:

Owl-form variation

of a

Kifwebe zoomorphic

mask, from the Luba peoples. essential in C20th. 22'/2

ncreasing the power ol the mask. Indeed, the

simple addition of it

or help

it

to

a

leather crest

may

become possessed by

in

(57 cm) high

S3, 600-5,000 JDB

activate a spirit.

Without these additions, the mask would be regarded as "naked"

or,

even

worse, "useless."

Lett:

mask

Horned wooden animal with raffia throat piece,

from the Salampasu peoples.

Late C19th-early C20th.

22

in

(56 cm) high

RITUAL SPECIALISTS

$5,000-7,000 JDB

Clients

may engage

a nganga

(ritual

specialist) to settle disputes, protect

from witchcraft, or promote

fertility

or health. The nganga commissions the carving of a sculpture

and places

a medicine-filled resin container on its

Nganga

(ritual specialists),

variety of

empowered

who

use a

objects to foresee

respect,

and

determine solutions to physical or spiritual concerns, practice divination.

Some

of these

divination mankishi are small and are used

and moral and physical beauty,

while the white painted idumu masks act

graded

as links to the ancestors of highly elite.

Mbole

ofika (carved figures of

hanged

criminals) are used by the Lilwa society

abdomen.

larger figures are for the well-being

of the entire community.

Among the

during initiation ordeals to show the consequences of violating the

and

NKISI Teke nkisi figure from the Democratic of

Congo

Nkisi are receptacles

Women

law.

adorned

becomes empowered.

hlppiihhi

problems of individuals, while other

for the

It is

with magical objects

of the Ituri Forest are responsible for

all

for spirits.

They can be

an animal or human sculpture, or merely a

Kongo and Songye peoples, community

these

figures are magnificent

expressions of

awesome power.

Unlike the kingdoms of the

Kuba and

others, the precolonial

Lega had no centralized political

domestic

activities,

including painting on

bark cloth prepared by men. They create designs associated with reflect the

body

art,

which

container. Late

CI 9th

early C20th.

13 in (33 cm) high $900-1,600 BLA

improvised, syncopated

rhythms of

their celebrated

polyphonic singing.

system, and were governed by the

Bwami grade

association

—

voluntary society that upholds

moral values. All Lega

Bwami

—the small

Left:

art

is

for

ivory objects

serve as proverbs to illustrate principles of moderation,

hair, with a

wooden handle, copper bindings, c.

Bwami

Yaka flywhisk, made

from animal

1880.

long

and

21%

figural finial. in

(54 cm)

$2,500-3,600 JBB

61

CENTRAL AFRICA

Western Region The Congo

River flows southwest, dividing the Republic

Democratic Republic of Congo. The

tribes here

were the

and the first

to

meet

the Portuguese traders of the Renaissance and, in the 19th century,

bore the brunt of the exploitation of King Leopold's colonial "agents."

Carved wooden, ancestral hunting figure from the Beembe Early C20th.

9

$1,200-2,000

62

in

Carved wooden head from the Kuyu people,

tribe.

(23 cm) high

Originally carried

BLA

$1,200-2.000

with characteristically elaborate coiffure.

on a pole during ceremonies. Late C19th. 15

in

(38 cm) high

BLA

RIVER

CONGO

A

S

I

N

Teke I

he reke mainly

live in

figures applied with strict bilateral sx

the Republic ol

medicine bundles.

mmeti

representing mbandjuala

ancestor or chiel are

v,

\

and

ongo and

A

South China

900 are inhabited) lying

women

and men wear jewelry of

of about 7,000 islands (of which only around

(36 cm) high

$1,800-2,500 BLA

British Isles or Arizona. islands, the largest are

and Mindanao,

is

The handles of pakko (Ifugao

of the

main

1 1

Luzon, in the north,

tribes of

Luzon

and items of personal

others, used in secular

use.

metalwork and

on houses,

boats, grave

markers, and personal objects include triangles, plant,

and rope-twist motifs. These designs

are

referred to as okir motifs. Islam eschews

all

animal and

woodcarvings of the Ifugao

and

wonderful patina through

highlands, and carvings

of art forms

adornment. The best-known objects are the

a

are very collectible.

In the Islamicized south,

exist here, including a rich textile tradition, basketry,

and take on

with figures,

weaving are highly developed, particularly in the

characterized by spectacular rice

A wide variety

ladles) are carved

live

mountains, where the landscape

terraces.

spoons and

They

in the south.

The northern in the

size

Of the

human images in

art,

although there

one or two exceptions among the Maranao.

are

and

religious contexts. Boar-tusk

armbands

are

Above: Wooden pakko (spoon) with a brass human

worn by male

handle, from the Ifugao people. C20th. 7 in (18

dancers and bv Bontoc head-

S12.000-20.000 PC

IFUGAO SCULPTURE The two best-known the north are the the Ifugao.

sculptural forms in

punamhan and

Punamhan

used by priests officiating

and contain blood and

bulul of

are lidded containers

ceremonies,

at

sacrificial materials

rice.

such as

They are normally carved

with handles of stylized pig's heads, with lizards or crocodiles in lids.

low

relief

on

Occasionally, they incorporate

figures. Bulul are rice

guardian

their

human

deities,

which

are able to boost yields even after the harvest is

stored in the granary.

pairs, either

shaped

They

are carved in

standing or seated, above a base

like a rice

mortar. Seated bulul have

folded arms resting on

drawn-up

knees.

are ritually consecrated with pig's blood,

some have

shell-inlaid eyes.

CARVING FOR THE TOURIST

MARKET

98

IN

LUZON

They and

figurative

cm) long

PHILIPPINES M££a

:

•

TRIBES AND BELIEFS Indigenous tribal groups remain only

in

remote areas oi the islands to the north, south,

and west, while the

rest of lowland

was converted

to Catholicism

Philippines

during the Spanish colonial period (from the 16th to the 19th century). Nine tribes,

including the Isneg, Kalinga, Bontoc, Ifugao,

and

llongot, inhabit the

mountains

of northern Luzon. In the south, Islam

remained the dominant establishment

in

has

religion since its

the 15th century,

and

the Muslim tribes that occupy western

Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago include the Maranao.Tausug.Yakan, Bejau,

Mora, and Samal.The Manobo, Mandaya,

Bagobo, and

T'boli are

non-Christian tribes

who

non-Muslim and reside

in

Palawan,

Mindoro, and eastern Mindanao.

Ifugao carved

C20th. 7Vi

in

pakko (spoon).

Ifugao carved

(19 cm) long

$5,000-7,000

C20th. 18

PC

in

wooden seated

bulul figure

$10,000-12,000

Moro kampilan sword

with a carved whale-

bone handle. Late C19th. 40

(47 cm) high

PC

$12,000-18,000

in

(102 cm) long

AC

Ifugao carved pakko (spoon).

C20th. 9

in

(23 cm) long

$5,000-7,000

PC

99

AUSTRALIA

AND

KEY FACTS Main peoples include Toraja,

Batak, Iban,

SOUTHEAST

A

A

S

ISLANDS

N

Indonesia

and the people of Nias,

Mentawei. Flores, Sumba, Atauro, Timor, Lombok,

Leti,

The peoples of Indonesia are as enigmatic as

their islands

and the Moluccas.

The Dayak group includes KenyahKayan, Bahau, and Bidayuh.

are dispersed. The motifs that decorate their artifacts

can be understood more clearly when placed within the

This archipelago of islands stretches

mythical contexts of these remarkable cultures. between the Indian and

and

is

Oceans

mainly a tropical climate, with

cooler areas

Gold jewelry

women

Pacific

in

highland regions.

is

Imagery used across

this archipelago includes

the water buffalo, the

fish,

Timor). Equally,

worn by men and

the wide variety of

dog, shrimp, or lizard,

of high-ranking families to

confirm their status to others.

Western

as well as motifs familiar in as the Tree

such

art,

shields

of Life and the Soul Ship. These

and swords

is

popular with collectors. In Java, courtiers of the

Warfare and the taking of heads were important ways

for

men

motifs are popularly woven into ritual

Muslim

textiles,

to

an

acquire prestige.

art

form

that

is

incredibly rich and often

in

Dayak head-hunter's shield

wood

from

42

with inlaid

enemy heads.

in

human

(106.75 cm) high

The

collectible,

Many

not only because of their

graphic beauty, but also because

stones.

and displayed interiors.

in

The Batak of Sumatra build

carvings of singa (serpent-buffalo

who

inhabit

the underworld); in Sulawesi, Toraja artists

are

used including warp ikat (in Sulawesi, Borneo,

their impressive

houses with huge roof eaves and pairs of large

Western

Many weaving

and dyeing techniques

Indonesian cultures construct large

buildings decorated with architectural carvings.

they can be easily transported

employ buffalo emblems

and Sumba)

in their architecture.

In Borneo, longhouse beams, doors,

and panels

and supplementary weft embroidery

(in the

Above: Wooden coffin fragment, carved as a

Lampung

deity with large

region of south Sumatra and

C19th-C20th.

HEAD-HUNTING Head-hunting took place

in several islands

including Nias, Sumatra, and Timor.

As

late as

the 1930s in Borneo, Iban

warriors went on raids and participated in

complex human

sacrifice rituals.

Warriors gradually acquired prestige, first

participating in raids,

moving on

and then

to leading successful

bands

of warriors. Although head-hunting

no longer practiced, the

Amat

cult

is still

Among

historic

is

Gawai

celebrated today in

a feast lasting seven days

and

nights.

the Bidayuh, the heads of

victims rested in the laps of women

while prayers were said.

Right: Trophy skull with engraved decoration, from the Dayak of Borneo. Early C20th. 6V2 in (16.5

S4.000-7.000 WJT

100

with

carved

ivory, or occasionally cast in gold

and studded with precious

found throughout the islands and are very

kriss,

hilts are finely

hair

Early C20th.

89,000-12,000 WJT

iron blade.

from wood or

overlooked in favor of sculpture. Textiles are Right:

sultans wear the ceremonial

wavy

its

cm) high

stylized

concave eyes, fangs, and protruding tongue.

m

in

(24 cm) high $1,500-2,000 SK

INDONESIA HAND-WOVEN SILKS Indonesia are predominantly

Textiles in

are carved or painted with aso (dog), usang

orang (shrimp), and hucioq (ancestor

These scrolling devices also decorate

shields,

beaded baby

and

where the bodies are

Dayak of Kalimantan

spirit)

motifs.

carriers,

cliff-galleries

erect

human

with stvli/ed

The

hampatong (ancestor

woven from cotton, and decorated different techniques. In

Sumatra, the lawon

poles) beside then longhouses,

jackets.

interred.

figures.

surmounted

from local

silk,

in

Palambang,

textile is

woven

or imported from China

along ancient trade routes.

LAW0NS

HONORING THE DEAD Funerary sculptures are carved as

memorials

to the deceased. In Leti,

they are conceived as seated figures

and depicted with arms crossed and

plumed topknots, with

a

weathered

surface.

The adu zatua of Nias

similar,

but wear jewelry and

crowns and have

a polished patina. In

Ataiiru, pairs of small

statuettes with

are

male and female

forward-curved limbs

hung from sacred hooks

house.

are

tall

The Toraja carve

figures for nobility,

in

each

tau-tau

life-like

which are paraded

during funerals and then ensconced in

Near

right:

Hand-woven lawon

(silk cloth),

Palambang, Sumatra. Mid-Late C19th. 83

from

Hand-woven, indigenous

l

/2 in

(210 cm) long $10,000-15,000

wax-resist dyed orange

EFI

silk

and

lawon.

red,

from

Palambang, Sumatra. Lawons ate Middle:

One

of a pair of

Chinese

silk lawon*,

from Palambang, Sumatra. Early C20th. 66

silk

in

ceremonial scarves presented

to married

(155 cm) long $5,000-6,000 (the pair) EFI

women. These

examples are decorated

particular in

the tntik

resist-dye technique, which originates in

India

and Central

been compared

is

nterior designers in the US.

the staple food of groups like the

Kenyah-Kayan of Borneo, who believe it

has a female

spirit

in

Mid-Late

(198 cm) long

$12,000-16,000

EFI

spirits.

and ensure

To protect

fertility

and home, men dance

in the field in

that

C19th. 78

or "soul" that can be

attacked by malevolent this "rice soul"

Asia. They have

Rothko paintings,

and are popular with collectors and

THE RICE GOD Rice

to

hudoq (masks) and banana-leaf

costumes spirits

both

to frighten

human and

menacing

evil

animal forms, with

fangs, flange ears,

like motifs.

black,

away

during planting. Hudoq depict

They

and

tendril

are repainted in red,

and white on each occasion

that they are used.

Right:

Carved and painted

wooden Dayak Hucioq mask, with attendant birds

and

a

basketry hat. Late C19th-early

20

TERRACED

C20th.

PADDY FIELD

$12,000-20,000 WJT

in

(50. 75

cm) high

101

AUSTRALIA

102

AND

SOUTHEAST ASIAN

ISLANDS

INDONESIA

Ceremonial cloth woven with geometric patterns,

20

in

c.

1900.

(51 cm) wide

S180-400

SK

Shaman's pendant container made from a large, hollow crocodile tooth, with stone disks

Wooden human

from the Batak of Sumatra. Late C19th-early C20th

Nias Islands. Late CI 9th-early

7

in

C20th. 13

(18 cm) long

$1,000-1,500

WJT

in

figure from the

(33 cm) high

$1,200-2,000

Dayak hampatong ancestral in

wood

C19th.

BLA

figure,

with inlaid shell eyes.

58

in

(147.25 cm) high

$15,000-25,000

WJT

103

POLYNESIA AND

MICRONESIA Christian missionaries arriving on the islands of the South

Seas encouraged

converts to destroy temples and "idols," and whalers, merchants, and

sandalwood traders exploited the natural resources. Today, dance and forms from this area.

oral history are the only surviving art

Polynesia forms a geographical triangle with Easter Island, the Hawaiian Islands,

Zealand

at

each corner.

Samoa, the Cook

includes

It

and

Fiji,

Islands).

It

Tonga,

and French Polynesia

Islands,

(the Society Islands, Austral Islands,

Marquesas

New

and

was populated over

Objects, too, possess mana, by association with their owners. In order to protect "pollution," stringent rules

amounts of mana:

which led

his

homogeneity that can

from the

be recognized in the

art style

Notwithstanding

each of the islands has

own

this,

area.

of around 2,000 small islands belonging to

—these

Carolines, Marshalls,

and

In this region, society

are the Marianas,

according to rank, divided into a hierarchy of

commoners, and

was inherited

patrilineally in Polynesia,

matrilineally in Micronesia,

by belief

in

and

was reinforced

two concepts, mana and

Mana was the

—

let

ECONOMY

Polynesians venerated ancestors and believed in

major

deities,

sea god),

including Tangaroa (creator

Tu (war god), and Rongo

(agriculture

and

deities,

but

many such works were

destroyed by missionaries in the 19th century, so

knowledge of them

is

based on only

nature

handful of

spirits.

fishing

to Melanesia), but

and

for example, success or failure in battle.

a

examples. Micronesians believed in ancestor and

was based on

could be enhanced or damaged by certain

acts

a slave could not even allow

across the path of a chief,

In Polynesia, the traditional

tapu.

degree of prestige and power

held by an individual by virtue of his birth. It

RELIGION AND

ancestors

slaves. Status

and could not be

altered. This social organization

fall

and peace god). Some carving represented both

strictly stratified

chiefs, nobles,

to

alone touch an object of his.

and

Kiribati.

was

shadow

its

quite distinct art style. Micronesia consists

four major groups

amount of personal

contact between two individuals with different

short period, between 1,000 bce and 1,000 ce, to a cultural

were observed, called

tapu (or "taboo"). The laws of tapu would, for example, regulate the

a

mana from

rats

economy

and horticulture

(similar

domestic chickens, dogs,

were also introduced. Pigs were also

brought to some

islands.

LANDSCAPE The islands of the Pacific

fall

"Continental" islands (such as of "Oceanic" islands (which "volcanic" include atolls,"

Tahiti,

lie

into three categories:

New

Zealand) and two types

beyond theAndesite

Easter Island,

and

Hawaii,

Line): the

and

"coral

which form most of the Micronesian islands. Right: Low-lying atolls, such as this one around Pisimwe island, Micronesia, provide virtually

no natural resources

apart from seafood and coral stone. Inhabitants use bone,

shell, coral,

and

fiber for all their material culture.

1

Wooden

Pakaka (feast bowl) from

ula drisia throwing

i

club from

Fiji,

and dark

15V2

HAWAII

i in

(32 cm) diam S6,000-10,000 BLA

bulbous head, chip-carved grip,

Hawaii.

Late C18th-early C19th. 12'

with a heavy

(to the

US)

patina, C19th.

(39.5 cm) long

in

$400-700 SK

KIRIBATI

COOK ISLANDS

SAMOA

MARQUESAS TKHSffi

ISLANDS

TAHITI FIJI

TONGA

;;,,,,

AUSTRAL ISLANDS

Ceremonial

wooden paddle from the Austral Islands,

62>A

in

c.

i

1830.

(158 cm) long

$5,000-9,000 KC lift.

EASTER ISLAND (to Chile)

NEW ZEALAND MAORI Maori hei

tiki

figure carved from

(nephrite jade),

6Vi

in

and

with red

wax

nounamu eyes.

Mid-C19th.

(16 cm) high $6,000-10,000 BLA

Right: Polynesians used war clubs,

and Micronesians made

shark-tooth

weapons and armor

made from

coir

fiber). Lavish

many types

(coconut husk

ornamentation of

of object

primary focus of

was the

artists.

They

were severely constrained to conform to formal

and suppressed

artistic ideals

Tongan apa'apai club carved with a lanceolate blade, with

small

human and

animal pictograms.

C18th-C19th. 34'A

in

(87 cm) long

$5,000-9,000 PHK

Tapuva'e

(stilt

Marquesas

step) from the

Islands, with

carving. Early C19th.

high

13

tiki

in

figure

(33 cm)

$2,500-4,000 BLA

individual

creative urges.

105

OCEANIA Tapa was

made

came from

and had many Cloaks

across Polynesia, and the best

the inner bark of the paper mulberry,

made

practical

and ceremonial

uses.

of flax (Maori) and featherwork

(Hawaii) were favored by chiefs and nobles.

Micronesians wore

The exists

little

crafted clothing.

traditional material culture of Polynesia

only in private collections and museums,

and was

collected

by

early visitors

and missionary

societies in the 19th century. Polynesian artifacts in the art

market are generally rare and expensive,

and consist of implements. There

and

are

Hawaiian calabash pakaka feast-

war clubs

bowl. C18th. 6V2 in (16.5

stools of dramatic form, with beautiful

SI. 800-2, 500

cm) high

JBB

surface patinas. Other items include ceremonial

bowls and dishes for chiefs or of which are found in

implements are (

see below) for

Fiji

priests, the finest

and Hawaii. Domestic

also collected, including

preparing poi

(a

pounders

mash made from

taro or breadfruit).

Wooden coconut

grater (minus shell blade)

from the Nukuoro

Atoll,

3m

in

Caroline Islands. C19th.

(80 cm) long $900-1,800 SK

Wooden weapon

with

shark's teeth on either

side of the blade, from Kiribati (previously

Gilbert Islands). C19th.

13 3A

in

(35 cm) long

SI. 500-2.000

SK

Tongan apa'apai club with lanceolate blade

and

geometric and figurative carving.

C19th. 39Vi

Micronesian clamshell or coral beater, used as a bride price.

PM

C19th. 11 in (28 cm) long $12,000-18,000

CULTURE Beautifying the

into

and parts

of Micronesia. There has been a revival

in

recent

times of Polynesians wearing traditional tattoos as

an expression of nationalism,

particularly in

Zealand, Samoa, and Tonga.

New

spiral facial tattoos, while

tattoos occurred

in

in

(15 cm) high $2,000-3,000 BLA

body

procedure, using comblike bone

hammers, was excruciating and

was an important in

many

characteristic

rites of

The picture on the Poi pounder from Truk Island, Micronesia.

full

the Australs,

Cook, and Society Islands. The

element

6

(100 cm) high

Right: Maori chiefs wore intricate

body by means of injecting dye

the skin was widespread in Polynesia

Archaic.

in

S5.000-9.000 SK

right

passage.

shows a

modern, painted example of Maori facial tattoos.

II

POLYNESIA

Rare rongorongo (wooden tablet with undeciphered symbols)

Rapa

Nui. Late C19th.

10'A

in

AND

MICRONESIA

fron

(26 cm) wide S3, 000-5,000 BLA

iL

>*ffii

n d

Maori carved wooden horuru (gable mask). CJ9t^i.

W/i in

(37 cm) high

$50,000-70.000 KC

Fijian

dromudromu

root stock club with

carved root head. C19th.

41

in

(104 cm) long

$2,000-3,000 WJT

Notched whale-bone club from

Kiribati (previously Gilbert

Islands)— thought

existing example. Late

C18th. 32V2

in

to

be the only

(82.5 cm) long $40,000-50.000 PC

CRONES

POLYNESIA AND KEY FACTS The two main islands

of

New Zealand

New Zealand

run roughly from north to south with central is

mountain ranges. Overall

size

No other Polynesian people produced such

a variety of

similar to Great Britain or California.

Common the

art

as the Maori. Their work includes stunning houses

decorative motifs include

manaia and the

tiki,

and surface

with painted

and woven panels,

and feather

flax

clothing,

carving tends to be detailed, curvilinear,

worked stone and bone, and exuberant wood carving.

and bold. Haliotis (abalone) shell in

is

often inlaid

the eyes of carvings.

Weapons onewa

In

are carved from wood,

(basalt),

paroa (whalebone),

and pounamu (nephrite

art

Maori was

culture, the overriding

implements carved from bone, stone were

collectors

out-thrust tongue,

ivory,

eyes

wood, and

moka

(tattoo),

wide-open

with —often (abalone) —and contorted posture. These inlaid

haliotis

features

shell

jade).

Maori artifacts are extremely popular

among

purpose of

as an indicator of status. All kinds of

owned by

The

individuals of rank.

stress the fierce character

The

elaborate canoes and meeting houses were a

of the ancestor.

beautiful surface carving

and patina

and museums, and

source of pride, and an expression of power and prices are high for rare

and

of Maori weapons and taonga (highly prized

fine objects.

way

wealth for Maori tribes, in the same

personal objects) have attracted collectors and

that

medieval cathedrals reflected the prosperity

raised prices considerably.

of European towns. Carvings are

an abundance

typically covered with

and patu (hand

of bold spirals carefully interspersed

with manaia and

Manaia bird, or

tiki

motifs.

clubs); taiaha,

(ceremonial adzes); hei

tiki

reptilian character, while tiki are

sterns, paddles

panels,

and

and gable masks

The demeanor of the Maori

(pendants); and

Flutes,

canoe prows

bailers, architectural

are also sought after.

Above: Maori toki poutangata (adze) carved with a stylized

warrior, as portrayed in the haka

human

figure holding the

tail

of a lizard

with inlaid haliotis (abalone) eyes. Late C19th.

Maori carving:

reflected in

is

I6V2

in

(42 cm) long $6,000-9.000 SK

TIKI The Maori

tiki is a

representation of a family ancestor,

rather than of a god. all

The motif is rendered on almost

types of object, including the famous hei

(nephrite-jade neck pendants)

tiki

worn by high-ranking

men and women. These heirlooms were passed down the generations, increasing in mana (prestige) as they did

so.

Each would be given

removed from storage be addressed by jade)

is

in color It is

Left:

Maori hei

jade),

c.

1900. 4'/2

SI, 800-2. 500

108

tiki

it

they would

takes

around

to blackish-green. five

months

using sandstone rasps and

pendant (nephrite

in (1 1

PHK

name, and when

name. Pounamu (nephrite

from white-gray-green

so hard that

pounamu

their

a

(in treasure boxes)

only found on the South Island, and ranges

a single hei tiki

carved from

poutangata

humans.

stylized

dance,

wahaika,

pouwhenua, hoeroa,

staffs); toki

and

that have a

of the most

kotiate,

and tewhatewha (quarter

wakahuia (treasure boxes).

are mythical animal,

human forms

Some

popular works of art include:

cm) high

Right:

to carve

drills.

Carved wooden Maori

meeting house panel with a c.

tiki

figure,

1870-1880. 71'/2in(182cm)high

S30.000-70.000 KC

NEW

ZEALAND

POLYNESIA

MICRONESIA

AND

KEY FACTS Populations were decimated and

Austral and

culture ruined in both the Australs

and Marquesas

Islands, through

disease and the activities of well-

meaning missionaries and whalers.

Marquesas

art

is

Marquesas Islands

dominated by images It

of Tiki, the

was the missionaries who saved some

of the artifacts

god of creation, and the

characteristic treatment of the large, circular "goggle" eye.

of rectilinear

Combinations

produced by the

traditional cultures of these islands. Their

new converts were so zealous

their faith that they destroyed

in

and curvilinear

bas-relief designs are carved

much

of the art representing their old culture

and

beliefs.

against blank spaces.

The most famous Austral sculpture

the god

is

Aa

collected

from Rurutu,

1821

in

by missionaries. is

displayed

British

The Marquesas

the figure of

in

It

the

The inhabitants of the

Islands of eastern

Polynesia are high volcanic islands

central Polynesian Austral

with deep terraced valleys. The most

Islands were fierce warriors,

magnificent of all Polynesian war clubs

and when metal

on the Marquesas

are carved

Islands

and

are called u'u.

by

They

collectors.

combat and

are highly sought

They were used

century, they carvers.

in

and

also valued as heirlooms,

in the 19th

tiki

ornament

STILT Stilt

figures

back to back.

shell

adults

poo

and can usually onlv be seen Above: Wooden

Marquesas

in warriors' hair.

a favorite

and children ft

(2

m)

as

young

in length

Carved tapuva'e

all

Marquesas

as ten. Stilt poles

and wrapped

were

in white

were lashed to the

pole with colored sennit (woven coir cord). Formal contests involving racing

Marquesas

tribal

and mock

battles

Stilt

steps were

made by tahuna

vaeake (specialist

carving. Early C19th.

(25 cm) high

55,000-9,000 BLA

between

champions were held on ma'ae (paved stone

enclosures) during important memorial festivals.

tiki

carvers) using

gardens.

hardwood cured

The form

in the

takes the shape of a

with curved top, supported by a

mud

of taro

number "7"

human

figure,

and

decorated with parallel grooves.

TIKI

stilt

drums,

museums.

in

SCULPTURE

FROM A MXAE (PAVED STONE ENCLOSURE)

step carved with a

Islands. Early C19th.

high S3. 000-7, 000

entertainment for

(steps)

artifacts include

were used

tiki)

trumpets, headbands, and

and were

most

flywhisk handles, chief's stools, and necklaces,

STEPS

around 6V2 tapa.

Ivi

made of the bones

competitions were held in

villages

tlie

A tour de force of surface carving, they common Austral artifacts in the

market today. Pre- 1820

pairs of

paddles) were produced

century in Ra'ivavae, for commercial

handles of ivory and wood, decorated with

drums, or were worn

Islands, with a

great

purposes.

to

Right: Stilt step

became

Hoe (ceremonial

are the

(small cylindrical toggles,

110

18th

were displayed as status symbols. Other items

of enemies and caned with a

in

were

indicating high status were the carved fan

two

9%

late

Museum. after

from

tools

introduced in the

BLA

IIV2

in

tiki,

from the

(29.5 cm)

AUSTRAL

AND

MARQUESAS ISLANDS

POLYNESIA

AND

MICRONESIA

KEY FACTS Fiji

consists of over

300

islands.

Viti

Levu and

The two main islands,

111

Vanua Levu, are mountainous with broad

rivers

and surrounded by

The people of

Fiji

are racially and linguistically Melanesian,

reefs.

but culturally Polynesian, and their art forms are imbued Captives of war were eaten, or kept pnsoner and consumed at a

later time.

Tapa (bark) cloth was worn by chiefs

and was also used as bedding or

with a spirit of refinement

and power that

unequaled

is

in

the rest of Oceania.

to

partition areas within a house.

The people of this

island area were obliged to

vonovono

avenge insulted or killed kinsmen, and were

more or

inevitably in a

less

most are

common

war

clubs,

and each had

a different totokia

two-handed "battle hammers" with like

Although

artifacts in Fijian collections

method of use. For example,

shaped

pendants) worn by diplomats.

The

it.

is

were

and

were used in ambush and executions. During

v

W

(prestige). Entire

such as

oil, is

motifs are often

at rituals

food,

mana

and kava

dishes.

an intoxicating drink

and before

Tapa cloth designs were

battles.

rectilinear, stenciled,

and sometimes block-printed

in black,

with

occasional red ocher details.

armies of regimented

warriors fought battles involving as

many as

chiefs,

consumed

would be passed between

warriors and youths to transfer

human and animal

Kava (or yaqona)

the spiked pandanus fruit and

initiations, clubs

rare,

figurative sculpture

incorporated into ritual objects used by priests

head

a

and ivory

worn by chiefs,

and the tabua (whale-tooth

constant state

of war, with an armory to go with

(shell

pectoral disk)

Fijian pottery

by women,

15,000 men.

Marine ivory ornaments were

is

vessels

unique

in Polynesia.

were baked

glazed with pine resin while

in

still

open

fires

hot.

highly prized by Fijian nobles. These Above:

included the wasekaseka and waetsei (split

whale-tooth necklaces), the civa

C19th. 14

CANNIBALIST CULTURE groups in Polynesia and Melanesia, where

formed part of religious

ritual associated

with the worship of ancestors. However, in

human

Fiji,

diet.

flesh

was

a

normal part of the

Incessant wars raged between rival

chiefs

on the numerous

islands,

and these

power-struggle battles provided the bodies for

consumption. Chiefs and

imbued with so much mana,

priests

were

great care

was

taken to avoid touching potentially polluting

food,

and i-culanibokola (cannibal

would be used

to

consume human

One chief is known

forks)

flesh.

to have eaten over

870 people in his lifetime. Right: Large carved

wooden i-culanlbokola (cannibal fork), used by

attendants to feed flesh to priests.

18

in

human

C19th.

(45.75 cm) long

S4.000-9.000 WJT

112

i-uladrisia (throwing club) with carved

handle, two inlaid teeth on the head, and a dark patina.

Cannibalism was practiced in several island

it

Wooden

FIJIAN

ISLANDS

in

(35.5 cm) long $1,000-1,500 SK

Made and

FIJI

MELANESIA Melanesia constitutes the largest and most populous area

and was colonized by successive migrating groups. This that

reflected

is

in

number

the large

in

the Pacific

led to a racial heterogeneity

languages and great variety of

of

Ocean

art styles

found across the region.

Melanesia was colonized from the west,

beginning with 3000

bce,

from 3000 Melanesia

New

New Guinea

and spreading

in

The

Guinea, Vanuatu,

and the Solomon

The

traditional fabric

was bark

cloth (weaving being a recent introduction).

Horticulture of subsistence crops

yam

with taro and breadfruit,

is

the

norm,

the staple. Wild coconuts,

and sago are

also gathered,

and

sweet potato, banana, sugar cane, and betel

palm

are

grown (betel-chewing

is

popular

throughout eastern Melanesia). Hunted wild

and domestic animals include the cassowary,

and dog.

wallaby, bat, rat, pig,

It

is

an

essential

enables ambitious

status that

is

men

economic

activity.

to gain wealth

and

then proudly displayed during

The art of Melanesia

and

somewhere

to store sacred objects.

Masks and carvings

is

wealth. This

based on entrepreneurism. their status

by acquiring

can be achieved through exchange

with partners on other islands, for example, in the ritual trading system

known as the

Painted war shield from the Asmat

people of North Citak. Post-1950.

76%

in

S2. 500-3.000 JYP

14

Irian Jaya.

(195 cm) high

found

home

for

them

to inhabit.

kula cycle.

all

over Melanesia

Funerary ceremonies

are important to ensure spirits are suitably

honored and resting place.

safely dispatched to their final

There

power of witchcraft

is

a widespread belief in the

to cause misfortune, illness,

or death, and sorcerers are consulted to deflect

malevolent attacks. Melanesians believe a

spirit,

often referred to as a "bush or nature" spirit, inhabits both animate and inanimate objects. called

growing yams,

upon

fishing, or

to aid individuals in

head-hunting

for example. In the past, warfare

raids,

was endemic

but small-scale, so a large variety of clubs, bows, arrows, and shields can be found.

is

incredibly luxuriant

varied, with a vitality that

LANDSCAPE AND CULTURE and leaders can increase

are

and represent ancestral ghosts or provide a

borders on exuberance.

Social hierarchy

men's

village

the Men's House, a space for debate, as well

They could be

Trade often requires arduous sea voyages

by canoe, but

a

any

largest building in

SPIRITUAL BELIEFS

Islands.

involved simple loincloths or penis covers, skirts.

as

and the

Most

Caledonia,

Clothing was scanty or nonexistent, and

and

society is

Papua

Java,

New

celebrations.

communities are regulated through

area called

made up of Irian

is

around

to the other islands

to 1500 bce.

and

religious ceremonies

Obsidian knife with geometrii dei oration,

from the Admiralty Islands i

1880 IQVa

/(»/i,.

;

in (2'i

i

mi

$900-1,500 JBB

Agiba (skull rack), carved and painted, from

Carved wooden ancestral figure from the Biwat people of Papua Guinea. C19th. 13Va

in

the

New

Papuan

38V2

(35 cm) high

in

Gulf.

C19th.

(97.5 cm) high

$600-900 FRE

$30,000-50,000 KC

IRIAN JAYA

PAPUA NEW GUINEA EASTERN ISLANDS

ffr

i

SOLOMON ISLANDS

V

s Wooden mask,

',A>* Leaf and string Jipae the

Asmat people

61%

in

I6V2

Post-1950.

from the

Papua New

in

(42 cm) high

$1,500-2,000 BLA

(157 cm) high $3,000-5,000 JYP

Left:

River.

Guinea. Early C20th.

ceremony mask from

of Irian Jaya.

Ramu

Melanesians have colonized the mountains,

jungles,

and

river

estuaries of

as the islands of the western

canoe

for

New

subsistence (as here

Islands), transportation,

Guinea, as well

Pacific. in

They used the

the Trobriand

and warfare.

Clamshell tema pendant with a stylized frigate bird overlay

Right: Ceremonies are elaborate events controlled

by men's societies to regulate political, religious, social,

and economic functions. These Highlander

in turtleshell,

Solomon

from Santa Cruz,

Islands. C20th.

(9.5 cm) diam

3 3A

in

$900-1,500 SK

tribesmen wear the typically ostentatious costume

and body decoration

of

ceremony.

115

MELANESIA KEY FACTS Korvar-style figures feature an arrow-

shaped nose, bead

Irian Jaya

inset eyes, scrolls,

and a square-section body and limbs.

Most

of the early

The carvings of Humboldt Bay are Irian Jaya,

works of

from the former Dutch colony of

art

such as the enigmatic shields,

heads,

startling trophy

and volumes and

brightly colored,

planes are rounded and

Asmat

art of the Lorenz

Rivers

is

mainly of

realistic.

and Eilanden

human form

and ancestor statues, were collected back

before WWII and sent

in situ

Dutch museums.

to

with

elongated limbs and torsos; females are often carved

in

squatting posture.

Mimika and Asmat poles

are

tall,

and

In the western half of

Indonesian province of Irian

associated with death and ancestors. five

Marind-Anim art scarce, and only

is

New Guinea

main

the

is

is

home

which

Jaya, in

cultural areas are located (excluding

the Highland tribes,

who come under the

River section here). In the north

is

carved to provide

a

for the soul of the

deceased.

The

statue

would

be consulted for advice.

Sepik

The

the Korvar

coastal peoples

around

drums, costume

area

Humboldt Bay

around Cenderawasih (Geelvink) Bay, and

are

dependant on canoes. Manx

accessories, and

trophy heads are

usually found.

the peoples of Lake Sentani

and Humboldt

(prow ornaments) have human,

To the south are the Mimika, Asmat,

Bay.

more

all

statues (normally stored in Men's

artistic

made. Lake Sentani artwork

particularly, a kind of

small ancestor statue that

by

is

carved

a Southeast

It is

When a person dies, the

SYMBOLISM The war

shield of the

IN

and one of the most

Asmat

is

important than

its

Post-1950. 25V2

one of the most

from

collectible.

this area

To Asmat

warriors, the decoration of the shield

far

is

defensive properties.

It

more

was

used as a psychological weapon. The designs are

connected to head-hunting and were intended to paralyzing terror in one's

among by

enemy and awe

one's cohorts. Stylized motifs

artists

employed

include the praying mantis (which bites

off the female's

head during mating). Images of

the flying fox (a fruit bat) were also popular (see adjacent shields). Flying foxes are a

symbol

of head-hunting because they eat fruit from trees

and the Asmat associate

body and head,

Asmat war

116

trees

fruit

with the

Wooden

Unlr River,

and

respectively.

shield from

Asmat

the Citak region, engraved

war shield carved with

with flying foxes. Post-

flying foxes.

2950. 50 3/4in(129cm)

69'A

high

and shows

Above: Asmat sago bowl with carved human head handle.

korvar

SHIELDS

elaborately decorated objects

instill

refined,

Asian influence. Suspension hooks,

a standing or seated figure

usually holding an openwork, scrolling shield.

is

Houses) are also

bowls, drums, tool handles, lime containers, and

the different cultural groups in

the area.

$1,800-2.500 JYP

fish

Amulets, dugong harpoons, and ancestor

The term korvar describes an and,

and

forms, and are painted in red, black, and yellow.

and Marind-Anim peoples.

style

bird,

in (1

Post-1950.

76 cm) high

$2,500-4,500 JYP

in

(65 cm) high $1,200-1,800 JYP

IRIAN

A

J

Y

A

FROM TREE TO CLOTH

ART OF DEATH Among

the

Asmat and

Across Oceania, the bark of certain trees

involving

ceremony and violence,

as well as

Death was invariably caused

and

To

spirit to rest.

this end, relatives erect

up

(ancestor) poles, periodic mortuary

to 16

rites.

ft

m)

(5

huge

of several

The

bis

in height, for

of the dead using th

A

:

would be abandoned

poles

in

of the

on

chest and from the pubic region of the uppermost

palm

groves.

The

vitality

stripped

and soaked, then

TAPA CLOTH

dead could now be passed

to the living

through food from

F

the sago palms.

They

is

4T

i

the sago

openwork, winglike projections issuing from the

where

the tree

pole as a canoe, and th

figures have

they are referred to as a penis.

Guinea, the

provides a coarse

beaten on an anvil-board.

reach the realm

Carved from mangrove

ancestors.

New

the

of ficus

but suitable bark. The inner bark of

coulc

spirit

they feature canoes and representations

human

hibiscus. In

These

tree,

and species

swamp mangrove

in battle

hunting sorties was essential to enable the decease

figure,

into tapa cloth.

breadfruit tree,

or by witchcraft, and vengeance involving head-

trees,

made

include the paper mulberry

disposing of the dead was a long process

burial.

is

related peoples,

are painted in white, the color representing the spirit

r

world, with red details. Set in rows, warriors

would stand

in front

of the pole and swear revenge

on those responsible

for the death.

Once

Asmat wooden

the

figurative

82%

ceremonies had been completed, the wandering

in

bis (ancestor) pole with

and openwork carving. Post-1950.

(210 cm) high $4,000-5,000 JYP

:

human

loincloths are decorated, mainly with

figures

or oval spirals and hoops.

Mimika Asmat and

art is

is

often misattributed.

The carvings

Lake Sentani. Tapa

£

poles) are like those of the

Asmat. Yamate (shieldlike

in

x&

masks, and as clothing.

openwork

panels.

They

when

to decorate

surmounted with

The Asmat for

only acquired after accessible.

Enemy

art in

the past,

interiors. In

However, since the 1920s, highly

and

appeared

(above). These are associated with clans,

fierce

warriors

and totems include humans, birds,

and

flying foxes.

C20th

fish,

snakes,

27V2

in

(70

cm) high $1,800-2,500 BLA

Western collections was

WWII, when skulls

house

cloths with figural designs have

houses).

are celebrated artists

Most Asmat

Bay, the tribes use tapa

decorative, commercially produced

whom the taking of heads was not suppressed until

the 1960s.

painting. In Lake Sentani

patterns influenced by Southeast Asian

are displayed during burial

emakame (bone

can be

designs were mainly repetitive geometric

the bones of the recently deceased are

transferred to

It

squares as maro (loincloths) and

textiles.

rituals,

and

and Humboldt cloth

ancestor tablets) are decorated with triangular, webstylized navels

a wide

in

(spirit dyeing,

and

used

decorated by embossing, stenciling,

and the mbitoro

patterns

is

variety of forms, including as currency,

are

similar to Korvar figures

like

cape from

Pictorial tapa (bark) cloth

influenced by both the Korvar and

the area

became more

were decorated with feathers

and colored seeds and made into women's necklaces (a severe affront).

War

shields, spears,

bone daggers, and domestic

and cassowary-

utensils such as hourglass-

shaped drums, dishes, and war-canoe-shaped bowls (for sago) are

now produced

in lesser quality for the

commercial market. Standing male figures representing the primordial ancestor are carved for

The Marind-Anim engage in

new Men's Houses.

in elaborate

ceremonies

which ornamented costumes and shell-and-seed-

encrusted effigies representing are

Dema

(creation beings)

employed. Few have been collected, since they were

destroyed after a single use. Other works include trophy

heads (with skin intact) and hourglass-shaped drums.

Asmat wooden

human 1950. high

stylized

figure Post-

61%

in

(157 cm)

$4,000-5,000 JYP

117

~/2

and incised

in

in

wood

with

with a large labret

long, arched

relief-carved eyebrows bring this

pigment decoration. striking

(21.5 cm) high $80,000-100,000 SK

mask

to

life.

The piece shows

the wear and tear of frequent use patina, a crack

its telltale

one

side, two generations of repairs,

and a square

nail

protruding from the

top edge. C19th. 8

POTLATCH

down

with

in

(20.5 cm) high

$90,000-120,000 SK

The potlatch ceremony stood Northwest Coast

ritual

to publicly claim

honors and

as the

pinnacle of

was an opportunity

life. It

by virtue of

titles

Tlingit

form

wooden

of a frog.

oil

bowl carved

the

in

1850-1860. 8V2

(21.5 cm) long $15,000-18,000

in

M&D

astonishing generosity. Guests, sometimes by the

hundreds, would be invited to attend

this gift-

giving event attesting to the great munificence

of the host.

The more splendid the

higher the status attained, and

affair,

gifts

the

such as

prestigious button blankets, baskets

and dance

regalia

were given

to

every individual in attendance,

according to their station. Feasting played an important part of the ceremony,

and

guests were expected to

show

their gratitude

by

eating to the point of illness.

Beautifully carved bowls special serving utensils

brought out

and

were

to befit the occasion

153

AMERICA

NORTH

Two Haida totems carved from the C19th.

14'A

Tallest:

in

shalelike stone

c.

SK

$1,200-1,800

Two copper bracelets, one etched stylized

Tlingit cloth wall

argillite.

(36 cm) high

human

with a

face, the other with stylized bird

imagery. Late C19th. 2Vi in C6.5

$2,000-4,000

cm) long

1900. 20'/2

S400-700

in

pocket with beaded

flora

and fauna

motifs,

(52 cm) long

SK

Ceremonial Haida canoe paddle carved as a c.

fish with additional

1890-1910.

$800-1.000

1

A

3

in

aquatic imagery,

(45 cm) long

TSG

N

R

1

Tlingit tribe basket, finely

motifs. Early

1900s. 5'h

in

H

W

I

woven with three

S

T

central

COAST

bands

of geometric

(14 cm) high

$1,000-1,500

Tlingit tribe

carved and pierced wooden male

painted with black pigment. Mid-C19th. 10 3A

mask

in

ALL

selectively

(27.5 cm) high

$12,000-18,000

Most patterns used

in

native

Northwest Coast art were conceived as animal images, although

floral

and geometric

designs were also found. Incorporating depictions of the various animal spirits into

ceremonial regalia called forth their supernatural

abilities for

distinct

use. The

Northwest aesthetic

took delight of

powers and

human

body and

in

the abstraction

facial forms,

creating a striking final portrait

from an array of stylized parts.

bark and mountain goat wool. Late C19th.

44

in

IMF

P?V!li|l

!

Chilkat dance blanket woven from cedar

One

of a pair of Tlingit tribe

shaman m-a-trance necklace

pendants carved from cedar wood.

c.

1850s. 3V2in(9cm)l

(112 cm) long $20,000-25,000 SK

$18,000-22,000

(the pair)

155

NORTH

AMERICA

Kwakiutl carved and polychrome-painted

moon mask,

humanoid faces and mythical seawolves. Late C20th. 12

(30.5 cm) diam

in

eyes,

^L

S400-600

mask

bird Kwakiutl carved wood and polychrome-painted

depicting

and a vegetal

fiber cresting.

1925-1950. 18

in

with

an articulated beak, overlaid domed copper

(45.5 cm) long

56,000-7,000

t

•

Kwakiutl

Nootka bone and sinew halibut hook C19th.

mm

at the

(12 cm) high

156

Museum

of Natural History in Munich.)

c.

painted to symbolize a wasp. (A similar

1870. 10V,

in

mask

is

displayed

(26.5 cm) long

M&D PHK

S300-500

wooden facemask, carved and polychrome

S30,000-50,000

NORTHWEST COAST

Kwakiutl carved and

polychrome-painted

wooden totem

Carved, pierced, and

pole.

1920-1930. 33 3A

painted Nootka

in

(86 cm) high

c.

$1,800-2,500

-'«

Button blanket with cut-out applique real

and faux mother-of-pearl buttons,

$900-1,800

JBB

bird all

and animal forms

in

red, outlined

1880. 14

in

mask

(35.5 cm) high

$40,000-50,000

M&D

and highlighted with

contrasted against a black ground. C20th.

69

in (1

75 cm) long

SK

157

'

AMERICA

NORTH KEY FACTS

California

California tribes include the Hupa, Porno, Yokut, Western

Mono, Maidu.

Karok, Panamint, and the various Mission groups.

In

and Plateau

the Plateau region

are the Nez Perce, Yakima, Cayuse, Interior Salish, Klikitat.

and Chinook.

As the A wide range found across

of

last frontier of the Unites States' inexorable

environments are

this region: coastland,

mountain ranges, desert, and verdant

westward expansion, much of the

and

art

traditional lifestyles

forms of the native peoples of California and

valleys— moderate climates and

the Plateau region lasted well into the 19th century.

propitious conditions for a bounty of natural resources.

As hunter-gatherers, the ease of sustaining life

a

relative

comfortable

In California, the

enabled the California Native

Americans in

peoples wove basketry

their arid desert

hats for themselves and lidded trinket baskets

surroundings.

to develop remarkable

to talents

Hupa

sell.

Another

creative outlet

was dance

regalia

and

Unlike

In the Plateau,

basketry.

decorated with

shells, feathers,

quills.

the horse culture adopted

Influences from the Native Americans

their baskets,

little

from the Plains inspired

of this material survives today.

lavish trappings for the

of the Plains and the Northwest Coast led to the Plateau tribes' assimilation of

most prized baskets were covered with

a variety of art forms.

Cayuse's favorite steeds and resplendent attire

Considered the best weavers of all, the Pomo's

and strung with

made

to

shell

be burned

pendants

in

—

mortuary

feathers

for their riders.

Yokuts. Sometimes used to carry rattlesnakes in a

basketry became an artistic statement for Salish

rite,

and

they were decorated with rows of

lozenges in a diamond-back rattlesnake

pattern. Rattlesnakes

and

also featured in baskets

pictorial motifs

Klikitat

(see right)

women,

Wooden-framed

hide-, cloth-,

Plateau cradle. Early C20th.

PICTORIAL BASKETRY The evolution of designs basketry owes

much

in Californian

to the

demands

tastes of the marketplace. Basket-

weaving was widespread throughout the area,

bowls hats,

and functional cooking and storage alongside gaming trays, cradles,

sat

and

ritual objects in the weaver's

repertoire. Traditional basketry

changed

once the Native Americans found themselves reliant

on

a foreign,

Pictorial baskets

as they

dominant

proved popular

civilization.

among buyers

purportedly revealed Native history,

myths, and heretofore-secret symbols. In little

American

lizards,

reality,

of that was true. Responding to non-Native tastes,

demand with

weavers took to satisfying market

stereotypical Indian designs often

more meaningful

to the

buyer than the

seller.

humans

from the Panamint

c.

1920.

6 in (15.25 cm) diam $15,000-18.000

D&G

as

Functional

did the cornhusk bags

woven by many of the Plateau

Ulrri.

and

floral designs.

peoples.

were

from the Cahuilla and

other "Mission" Indians in the South, reflecting

and

their

The Nez

Yakima tended toward

diamond

alternated stylized figures of

in beauty.

mouthed "bottleneck" baskets were woven by the

ceremonial

Above: Woven basket decorated with

them

Perce admired geometric decoration while the

Small-

rites.

Beaded cradles protected

babies and swaddled

historically

BASKET WEAVING

38

and polychrome bead-covered in

(96.5 cm) long $5,000-9,000 SK

CALIFORNIA

PLATEAU

AND

UTILITARIAN BEAUTY

ON THE MOVE Parfleche container painted with

While

n

unlikely that the people ol the

is

syi

role in

lun,

I

word

for "art" in relation to theii

pattern. Parfleche literally translates

from the French as "against arrows."

he objec

and

Is

they created for

Symmetry was

fanfare.

I

These resistant containers carried

ink lion,

meat and other foodstuffs when

the rule for

traveling. Early

painting the two flaps (

,i

polychrome geometric

pieces, aesthetics surely played a

Plateau used a

homemade

itrical

parfleche bag

ol a typical

see right). Similarly, the softly

in a

balanced

composition, hut showed asymmetry with

on each

SK

woven cornhusk

bag lined up decorative devices

different design

C20th. 26

(67.5 cm) long $1,500-2,000

side.

The peoples

a

ol

f the Plateau took great pleasure

displaying the artistic (

mostl)

),

ami pride

skills ol the

imbued with

in

women

brilliant color

and

clever invention.

Cornhusk bag

of rectangular

form

decorated with repeat geometric motifs in

polychrome woolen yarns,

22

Beaded choker from pattern,

25

in

Pitt River,

with a polychrome geometric

beaded frmg e, and abalone pendants,

c.

1900.

Buckskin dance

c.

1900.

(56 cm; high SI, 000-1, 500 SK

skirt fiom northern California, decorated

with vegetal fiber-wrapped strands of glass beads,

(38 cm) long

$300-500

in

thimbles. Late C19th.

SK

34

in

and brass

(86.5 cm) wide

$20,000-25,000

Porno basketry bowl, the

flat

underside with a feather star pattern,

and clamshell and

abalone pendants, 2Vi

54,000-5,000

in

(6.5

c.

3900.

Multiple-strand necklace of dentaha shells engraved with

geometric motifs and strung with red glass bead spacers.

LateC19th. 19

cm) high

SK

in

$8,000-10,000

(48.5 cm) long

SK

159

r'JD

NORTH

AMERICA

CALIFORNIA

PLATEAU

AND

ELIZABETH HICKOX Lidded trinket basket with a geometric pattern,

woven by Elizabeth Hickox

The most renowned weaver northern California

grass, porcupine quill,

and maidenhair

was

in

fern.

(12.75 cm) diam

man

in

1895 and

followed the Karok's

basketry traditions. She stood out for her bold innovations

and mastery fine,

She was

90

particularly

Made

shape and high-necked

art dealer

^&&

of technique.

lidded "trinket" baskets.

bell-form

$40,000-50,000

the twined basketry tradition of

Elizabeth Hickox. Although born of a Wiyot

mother, she married a Karok C20th. 5

in

in

known

for sale, they

finial.

for her

in

design

extremely

were marked by the

Entrepreneur Native American

Grace Nicholson arranged to market the approximately trinket

baskets woven during Hickox's prime to aficionado collectors

and museums around the

country.

D&G

'

NORTH

AMERICA

CALIFORNIA A CLOSER LOOK Infant cradles were carried on the back or on the sides of horses. A mother's

was

love for her child

embellishments

clearly

of the

topped wood board. The fall

head-first.

Finally, a soft

Below in

left:

natural

39

in

It

expressed

in

the practical construction

Plateau cradle. Tanned hide distinct top

was

fitted

and

around a

beautiful

flat,

dome-

served to protect the child should the cradle

also served as a "canvas" for the

beaded pattern on

display

hide pocket would be fastened to keep the baby snug.

Wooden framed

infant cradle covered

and two-tone blue dyed

hide. Early C20th.

(99 cm) high $6,000-7,000 SK

Below

right:

A Nez Perce

infant cradle comprising

c.

1870. 46

in

(117 cm) long $90,000-100,000

bead

Distinct

deer hide and a cloth-covered wooden board.

cofors

D&G

and

designs were favored by

each

Floral

tribe

designs

were commonly

used

areas

in

where greenery

abounded

A

fringe,

beaded

attachments, and

talismans were

sometimes attached for

beauty and

good fortune

A trade cloth hood color to the

added

assemblage

and shielded

the

baby

from the sun

The cradle was laced

and fastened securely

AND

PLATEAU

AMERICA

NORTH KEY FACTS

Tribes include the Navajo, Hopi,

Apache, Pima, Papago, and the

Southwest

Pueblo peoples from Jemez, San lldefonso,

Acoma,

Zuni,

The native peoples of the Southwest held on to elements

Santo

Domingo, andTesuque.

of the ancient This

is

customs

of their forebears right into the

a dry land of rugged

mountains, deserts, and canyons, irrigated by the Rio

Colorado

other region of the country.

Rivers.

Inhabited

for

the region

still

20th century— probably more so than the peoples of any

Grande and

more than 7,000

years,

holds the ruins of great

ancient cities and

clifftop villages.

It is

quite probably the Southwest peoples'

continued to follow

determined conservative approach to living in accordance with the

blanket depicting plants and animals.

1925-1950. 81

in

(206 cm) long

$10,000-12,000 SK

traditional patterns of

teachings

subsistence.

These called

of generations gone before that has fostered

for the prolific crafting

the creation of such an abundance of artistic

of pottery, baskets, sculptures, weavings, and

objects. Below: Navajo polychrome woolen

wisdom and

The Pima and Papago of today, along

jewelry, as well as ceremonial implements, such as

with their Pueblo brethren, can trace their ancestral lines back to the very

of the Southwest

—

the

first

and

dolls

figures for use in their daily lives.

peoples

ART STYLES OF THE PEOPLES

Hohokam, the Anasazi, and the Mogollon.

The Navajo of eastern Arizona and western

Though

New Mexico

their lives

were

dramatically changed, like

textiles.

have gained fame for their

Latecomers to the

art of

weaving,

they learned from their Pueblo teachers and

Native Americans

everywhere, by the

eventually surpassed them, in both quantity

incursion of outsiders

and

on

products of their looms until around 1880.

their lands in the

17th century,

quality. Blankets

were the

first

and only

much Above: Tesuque tribe seated clay figure, the head painted

of the Southwest's

with yellow

indigenous population

13V*

in

and green motifs on a cream ground. Late C19th.

(34 cm) high $5,000-7,000 SK

PICTORIAL From

the earliest

RUGS

evolution of simple,

striped blankets for wearing, Navajo

weaving designs became a complex array of mostly symmetrical, geometric patterns.

An

exception to that rule was introduced

with pictorial weavings as an overture to the commercial market.

Though very few

19th-century blankets produced use contained

for local

human, animal, or

plant

motifs, later rug production incorporated

every image imaginable as an attraction to buyers. Depictions of spirit figures as yeis

were popular,

as

known

were important

elements of the Navajo world, such as corn, birds, livestock,

Right: Navajo

and

horses.

woolen blanket

with

a polychrome "eye-dazzler" pattern of serrated diamonds. Early C20th.

84

(213.5 cm) long $3,000-4,000

164

in

SK

SOUTHWEST KACHINA DOLLS Wooden kachina Eventually, they turned to the market economy

eastern

New

made

means

oi artistic

out of necessity and floors.

The Navajo were

working

silver.

rugs for non-Native

Mexico, pottery was the principal expression.

Inspired by Spanish designs

water,

and cooking brought forth many similar

vet distinct aesthetic styles in

Navajo silversmiths designed "squash blossom"

fashion.

necklaces, silver horse ornaments, and an

to tourism, practical pottery

guard called a ketoh.

Once

art objects

Pottery, basketry, jewelry-making,

and

opened up

the railroad

made

for sale,

i

ommunities

such as Acoma, Santa Clara, Tesuque,

their traditional ways, yet

excelled particularly in hand-coiling beautiful

of revenue in tailoring their pottery

sizes.

The design vocabulary found on Hopi

pottery appears to be extensive, but

is,

on the

their neighbors

most famous, however,

much

geometric fashion.

who

believe that they

stylized

this region

Plains.

They were

for their basketry,

human and animal

figures or

dramatic geometric designs. The Pima

carry people's prayers to heaven.

Among the

tastes.

which was expertly rendered and featured

represented, as they are of sacred

importance to the Hopi,

source

The southernmost peoples of

and feathers rendered Birds are

a

the Apache, practiced beadwork, not unliki

in fact,

limited largely to abstract bird images, wings, in

saw

production to non-Native American

of all

jars

ZUNI KACHINA

this reg

and Santo Domingo jealously guarded

and

religious teaching

aids for their children.

evolved into

by the Hopi of northeastern Arizona. They

ladles,

and Zuni peoples as

form ami decorative

the carving of kachina dolls were arts practiced

ceramic bowls, canteens,

tor

functional vessels lor storing dry goods, keeping

also unrivaled in

and technology brought up from Mexico, the

archer's wrist

The need

figures representing

helper deities were carved by the Hopi

and the Papago were

Pueblo peoples situated primarily

along the Rio Grande River in northern and

also

known

tor

their skill in basketry.

POTTERY REVOLUTION From

the ranks of Southwest potters throughout the 20th

century, the

with

name

this art

in the

of Maria Martinez became synonymous

form

New Mexico

of the outside world. Born

in the eyes

village ot

San Ildefonso, Maria was not

content to continue producing only the traditional styles of her village. She pioneered an innovative variety of black-onblack ceramics, painting a matte design on a glossy polished surface.

She also became the

first

work, on the advice of an Anglo

potter to begin signing her

collector.

Extremely

prolific for

decades, her potter}' remains highly sought after and valuable

Zuni tribe kachina doll representing

Hututu— a his

name

spirit of

nature

who takes

from the cry he makes. Zuni

dolls differed from those of the Hopi.

They were usually more slender and elongated, with articulated arms, and

were dressed

in

cloth garments, leather

moccasins, and other

regalia.

represented a related, though

pantheon. C19th. 15

$60,000-90,000

Left:

POTTERY

WORKSHOP

distinct,

(38 cm) high

in

D&G

Black ceramic bowl with an avanyu

(horned water serpent) A MARIA MARTINEZ

They also

Martinez,

c.

1930. 6'/2

S5.000-7.000

frieze,

m

by Maria

(16.5 cm) wide

MED 165

AMERICA

NORTH Navajo The Navajo,

the living heirs of the Athabascan race, did not arrive in the Southwest until

century. Living a

on the

nomadic

settled villages thev

existence, thev initially survived by hunting, foraging,

encountered.

took up some of the sedentary

down

traits

It

was not long, however, before the Dine,

1

5th

raids

as they called themselves,

of their Pueblo quarry. They began to practice agriculture and, putting

weaving and pottery. True

roots, learned the skills of

around the

and carrying out

to their

nomadic

heritage, they

eschewed the

notion of a centralized community and lived in small, scattered family bands.

Polychrome

homespun c.

pictorial rug

yarns,

1920s. 58

in

woven from natural and commercially dyed

and depicting seven

Young

yei (holy people) dancers,

$1,800-2,200

skirt,

(96.5 cm) long

uu

5&

¥*M

m

m.

3

in

S2. 500-3.000

on

g

costume, including a velvet blouse, cotton

girl's

and moccasins. 1920-1940. 38

(147.5 cm) long

m"W HP

"rig

—ji—

Large woolen rug woven with a polychrome fretwork pattern

Woolen double saddle blanket, woven

on a variegated gray ground, within a red and dark brown

brown center panel flanked by geometric-pattern borders

fretwork pattern border. Early C20th.

83,000-4,000

166

116

in

(295 cm) long

SK

in

black and cream,

$5,000-6,000

c.

1930. 48

in

Ketoh (wrist guard) comprising a hide-mounted

with a variegated

(122 cm) long

SK

in

repousse

c.

1925. 3.5

silver set with three oval in

$1,200-1.800

floral motif

turquoise cabochons.

(9 cm) long

SK

...

SOUTHWEST Hopi I

hi

ot

.1

thousand years or nunc the

mesas

corner

in a

farming and ending cycle

ol the arid

1

lopi people inhabited their stone buill villages atop

Southwest landscape.

I

he) eked out

forged a delicate balance with the unforgiving ol religious rituals

nonetheless rose up of the Spanish

and entreaties

to the gods.

in intensely violent fashion to resist the

— remaining unconquered, and retaining

An 1

.1

living

.1

sei ies

through subsistence

environment through

a

never

essentiall) pacifists people, they

7th

and 18th century incursions

their culture largely intact.

Kachina figure carved

Ceramic

jar with a stylized bird-wing frieze

1940-1960. 6.5

in

black against a cream and brown ground.

Flat,

and a

a

IV2

SK

jar,

wood,

feather headdress,

(16.5 cm) diam

$700-900

Disk-shaped

in

in

with polychrome pigment

in

c.

1

940.

I

(19 cm) high

$1,200-2,000

clothing c.

|

BLA

cut-out

woman

in

wooden form

and carrying

1900. 15

of

polychrome painted

in

$1,500-2,000

a water olla.

(38 cm) high

SK

possibly

thrown and decorated by the female potter Nampeyo, with feather motifs on an orange-brown ground. Early C20th. 10'

$4,000-5,000

2 in

(26.5 cm) wide

P00K

167

AMERICA

NORTH Pueblo

The various peoples known

collectively as

(from the Spanish word meaning

Pueblo

"village") are the

living heirs of the Anasazi, or "the ancient ones."

These people abandoned their desert and mountain villages in the face

and many

of a lengthy 13th-century drought,

resettled along the Rio

valley. Eventually, a sizable

formed

and shared many

c.

1910.

its

own unique

with flaming

1QV2

in

other, farmed,

and

social attributes

number of different

village retained

Ceramic pot

number of communities

They traded with each

there.

they spoke a

Grande River

influences. Yet

languages, and each

cultural identitv.

sun motifs, from San lldefonso.

(26.5 cm) high

D&G

$10,000-15,000

Santo Domingo stone and

Stone human effigy figure with black pigment, and abalone eyes. C19th. 5

$10,000-12,000

168

pitch

in

Carved and polished plate with avanyu water serpent

and red

(12.5 cm) high

from Santa Clara,

TB

$900-1.200

c.

1930. IOV2

in

motif,

in

Acoma

(jar)

pottery olla

motifs on a

(27 cm) diam

SK

necklace with a

with black leaf-form

cream ground,

$4,000-6,000

shell

bird

(47 cm) long

pendant. C20th. 1 7

c.

1900. IV/2

in

and geometric

(29 cm) high

SK

SOUTHWEST

Restored Anasazl pitcher Zuni Pueblo Knifewing god, cast

and

jet. c.

1920-1940.

3V2

in

(9

in silver

cm) high

Black-on-cream

of the c.

one

7 in (18

SK

S3,000-4,000

motifs, by

from Chaco Canyon,

with inlaid shell, turquoise

olla with

c.

C6th

Jemez buffalo-hide shield

ce.

cm) high

S500-700

Early C19th.

ALL

20

in

$25,000-30.000

with red, black,

and white painted decoration.

(51 cm) diam

TB

sun

of the Aguilar family

Santo Domingo Pueblo,

1910. 11

in

(28 cm) wide

810,000-15.000

TB

169

NORTH

AMERICA

Pima and Papago The Puna, and

their neighbors the Papago,

The Pima's homeland was

descended from the ancient

Hohokam

and the subsequent establishment of permanent settlements. Papago land was forcing

them

to lead a

semi-nomadic,

rustic existence. Their basketry

strong geometric patterns and folkloric pictorial motifs.

170

culture.

traversed by two substantial waterways that allowed irrigation farming

is

less

hospitable,

striking, notable for

SOUTHWEST Apache Legendary

for their fierce aptitude as warriors, the

Apache were also tanners and traders. The) were a

proud people, with

related

wide area of Arizona,

New

hands spread over

Wherever they went, they tended from

their

neighbors

a

Mexico, and into Texas. to "hoi

row"

—

either ransacking food

and

provisions in raids, or peacefully learning the ways

of the Plains buffalo hunters, the Pueblo farmers,

and the Navajo herders. Their basketry designs are similar to those of the Pima, hut their

beadwoi

k

is

unlike am' other.

Conical burden basket woven with stylized

c.

Drawstring hide bag with tassels and with sun,

deer and geometric motifs, and

with buckskin

and

tin

1980. Basket: 17

cone pendants,

in

10

(43 cm) high

ALL

$300-700

geometric motifs in

all

in

star,

and

polychrome beadwork. Early C20th.

(25.5 cm) long

$1,000-1,600

SK

High-top hide moccasins with Large. oHa-shaped, coiled basketry vessel with a trelliswork pattern. Early

C20th. 21V2

in

(54.5 cm) high

"cactus-kicker" toes

motifs

in

Late C19th. 41

$15,000-20,000

and painted

black, yellow, in

and

red.

(104 cm) long

Basketry water jar with three loop handles and pine pitch exterior, c.

2900.

UV2

in

(31 cm) high

$700-1,000 171

NORTH

AMERI

KEY FACTS

C

A

Plains

Tribes include the Crow, Hidatsa.

Blackfoot, Plains Cree, Sioux,

Cheyenne, Arapaho, Comanche,

The nomadic warrior horseman and buffalo hunter of the

Plains,

and Kiowa.

A

perhaps more than any other image, symbolizes Native American vast territory of grasslands.

bluffs,

and

culture to the outside world. Nonetheless, this

the Great

river valleys,

Canada

Plains extend from northern

way

of

had

life

its

to

southern Texas and encompass most

heyday

for only a

over

little

100

years.

land east of the Rocky Mountains and

west of the Mississippi

Immigration

River.

into the Plains

from

From

the 14th to the 17th century, indigenous

surrounding areas after the 13th

groups from lands bordering the Great Plains

century resulted

found

in

a polyglot

mix of cultures from the

area.

Athabascan, Algonquian

their

way

into this sparsely populated

in the

Southwest by the Spanish, completed

Now mounted, the

the equation.

Plains people

were able to follow the buffalo herds and

Along with rudimentary farming and

the taking of deer, antelope, and smaller

enjoy a seemingly inexhaustible supply of vital resources.

During the second half of the

Siouan, Kiowan,

game, they survived by the

difficult

and

1

9th century, however, wholesale slaughter by

Shoshonean,

often dangerous task of hunting

and Caddoan

buffalo. This

language

animal was of the

utmost importance

families.

nonnative commercial interests led to the near extinction of the buffalo

changes for the people

to the

and profound

lifestyle

who depended on

it.

Plains Native Americans, as

ART FROM LAND AND LIFE

they used virtually

all its

Many of the

parts for food,

clothing, shelter,

marketplace date from the

and the

manufacture of a variety

now found

Plains artifacts

last

19th or early 20th centuries.

By

in the

quarter of the that time, their

decoration had evolved into a busy, ostentatious

of implements.

The addition of the horse, which was Above: Sioux tribe parfleche with painted decoration.

introduced earlier

Late C19th. l9Vi

in

(49.5 cm) long S2.000-3.000 SK

ANIMAL-HIDE FINERY Among

the myriad uses Plains people had for the buffalo, the

tailoring of functional

a practical necessity.

and handsome robes from the

beast's hide

was

Winters were harsh, and a thick, shaggy buffalo

blanket not only enveloped the user but was also a perfect format for

displaying propitious designs and skins of deer or antelope were used

emblems of status. The thinner where buffalo were not found

lighter clothing, pouches, saddle covers,

Cree tribe hide pad saddle

Hidatsa tribe buffalo-hide robe

trimmed with paws, ears, and

tail,

and

painted with a bear amid a shower of red hailstones. Late C19th.

55

in

(139.5 cm)

wide $150,000-180.000 TB

for

and other trappings.

with

beaded

floral

and bead and Late C19th.

decoration,

fiber pendants.

22

in

(59 cm) long

S3.000-5.000 SK

PLAINS HUNTING As with any nomadic

culture,

the people's seasonal style,

as ceremonial

though personal items such

drums

or medicine objects continued to be

adorned with images

largely perceived in

and,

later,

made cases

trade blankets.

They and other groups

folded or sewn painted rawhide carrying

known

as partleche containers. All oi the

Hunting

such as buffalo robes

and painted hides from the Mandan, a largely unaffected, older,

illustrated

time-honored

taste

As important

as the

and warfare,

it

horse was for hunting,

comes

no surprise

as

that

elaborate and beautiful objects were contrived

Kiowa

gaining distinction tor their predilection tor using commercial harness leather creations.

in decoration.)

raiding,

tribes fashioned bags oi every sort, the

Smoking, whether

a sacred rite, called for

paraphernalia.

a social

importance and were taught

young

The

pad saddle and beaded

called a

showy

flaps in

Likewise, the

and

Plains Cree used

talent

floral

Crow

rifle

became one

(along with his horse).

the

Arapaho

RIFLE CASE Beaded hide Sioux

tribe.

A

suspended

hide box

and

a

would be designed

brilliantly colored

Crow

Art was interwoven with

case replete

and handsome

beaded designs, as would of this importance,

c.

decoration) referred to as a "strike-a-lite."

befit a tool

1870s. 45

in

(114.5 cm) long $20,000-25,000 SK

style.

all

facets of the

The Blackfoot and

lives.

with decorative fringe

horse chest

in the distinctive stylishly

people's

case (often with tin cone

man's wife would

rifle

gear.

as a martingale

beaded blanket

a small,

case from the

rifle

Plains

lavished remarkable time

Bridles, saddles, cruppers,

and

hand-carved pipes, tobacco bags, and

or geometric patterns.

very

of a Plains

pastime or

used these occasions to show off attractive

flint

it

to

the

man's most treasured possessions

what was

on the embellishment of horse

ornament known beaded

its

When

was introduced,

carbine

quickly

craft a soft hide

in its honor.

age.

in then-

an assortment of related

The ( Cheyenne and

for food.

were of immeasurable

skills

children at a

visions. (Earlier examples,

movements

were centered on the quest

strips to

the Sioux

adorn buffalo robes

HIDE PAINTINGS Plains artistic talents were expressed primarily in three media: porcupine-quill embroidery, beadwork,

and painting. The available surface

last

was found on almost every

and served

to display highly

personal images of power as obtained through

representational

— usually —understood by other

members of the

tribe.

visions, or generic designs

People painted on

clothing, utilitarian implements, teepees,

and themselves. In designs took

on

painted

ritual use,

a special significance, Above: A photograph by

aiding in the accomplishment of

Carl

desired tasks through invocations

Moon (1879-1948)

depicting a squatting

of the painted image's magical

powers.

Drums and

Plains male painting a

shields in

stretched hide. Early C20th.

9'A

particular were effective as portable,

in

(23.5 cm) wide

5900-1,200 SK visual demonstrations of a man's

psychic identity and prowess.

Right:

Wooden-framed, rawhide-covered

drum

with an internal bell

and painted

with a walking bear

in

dark blue-green

pigment. C19th. 19

in

(48.5 cm) diam

$60,000-90,000 SK

173

NORTH

AMERICA

Northern Plains Uongside the

(.'row,

Cree, and Blackfoot, lesser-known tribes such

as the Assinaboin,

Mandan,

rich, multicultural

melting pot.

>\\\J

the Gros Ventre were

Though

all

o III

part of this

o

the peoples of the Northern

Plains retained well-defined cultural identities, they were artistically

influenced b\ neighboring peoples through extensive trade contact or,

sometimes,

artifact trophies taken in intertribal hostilities.

so^ Blackfoot tribe deer-hide moccasins with scalloped ankle

Northern Plains beaded

Blackfoot tribe fringed hide pouch, beaded with

pipe bag

geomet

eluding arrowheads). Early C20th.

S20.000-25.000

Cree or Blackfoot tribe medicine necklace

S6. 000-9.000

Breastpi.r

.chrome tral

Blackfoot tribe muslin blanket strip

glass

and beadwork geometnc

Sl.200-1.800

SK

S2. 000-3. 000

uritfi

polychrome cloth

motifs. Ear.

SK

PLAINS Introduced by the while

man and

embellished by the Native American, the

fashioned from wood and stone,

f

22

in

c.

tomahawk pipe was smoked

^^ ^"•Bta^^_

Sioux tribe tomahawk-shaped pipe

1900.

^^**^^^^ ^5W

and brandished

in

peace

in war.

(59 cm) long

$180-400

SK

Crow No one in

loved

parade more than the

a

the present-day stale ol

displayed

assembly

more

of

lavish decoration than a festive

row men and

i

row people


-s

m

Tumbaga alloy)

and copper

from Veraguas, Panama. 3 ce. 3 A in (9.5 cm) $500-900 (each) SK

800-1500 high

in

(gold

double eagle pendants,

gold

pottery vessels.

i

IS7

I

AMERICA

MIDDLE KEY FACTS

Cultures prospered from

250

ce

300

and include Colima,

and Jalisco

in

bce to

northwestern Mexico;

Chontal and Mezcala

in

West Mexico

Nayarit,

The "preclassic" period

Mexican archaeology

in

refers to a

the southwest.

time prior to the development of the great theocratic city-states. A mostly

arid,

mountainous

terrain.

these sparsely inhabited regions

remained

West Mexican cultures

thrived during this period,

independent

politically isolated, yet

of outside political, military, or religious power. interacted with cultures far afield

through trade.

What

little

we know

comes almost

totally

of these

people

rulers

customs and related

Due

Unlike the autocratic rule predicated by the

to the shaft

from their burial

and

Mayan and

priests of the

later

tomb method of

Aztec

artifacts.

empires, the citizens of this region apparently

burial {see below),

enjoyed a more benign existence under the

many of these

leadership of local chieftains. While

our knowledge of their daily lives is limited,

one clue

suggests this

the lack of

deity effigies

is

among a

i

^L

that

to naturalistic detail.

in

the coastal areas find representation in their

broad corpus of funerary

women, and animals

to this

dimensional

comic

art.

An

tendency toward realism

small, stylized figures

life.

restrained,

dignified portraits to

shown

armadillos, ducks, and even seashells from

and omnipotent

They range from

all

accurate and animated poses. Fat dog figures,

substantial

taken from everyday

find the

Shamans, warriors,

and laborers are

dignitaries,

gods, artists fashioned depictions

of men,

we

widest range of figures and the greatest attention

canon of ceramic production. In place of fearsome

artistic

offerings have survived. In Colima,

style,

made

in

exception

is

seen in

an almost two-

and referred

to as "flats"

or "gingerbread" figures.

or sexual portrayals that

show a

lighthearted

Above: Characteristically stylized pre-Columbian

and

carved stone figure from the Mezcala people.

confident humor.

300-100

bce.

11

in

(28 cm) high $12,000-18,000 BLA

SHAFT TOMBS Approximately 2,000 years ago, peoples spread across the modern-day states of

Colima, Nayarit, and practice, digging

Jalisco

what are

shared a burial

called "shaft

tombs

These not only protected the deceased in the

but also allowed for the inclusion

afterlife,

of offerings for use in the next world. Deep shafts

opening into subterranean chambers presented sufficient

room

for the

body and

the mostly ceramic

grave goods, such as bowls, jars, and figures. architectural integrity of these the preservation of

museums and

tombs has

numerous ancient

The

led to

objects for

collectors of the present.

Below: Nayarit terracotta

female figure with overall black

and white pigment decoration

AGAVE CACTUS

and a necklace, from the

FIELDS, JALISCO,

Rio region.

14

in

100 bce-250

(35.5 cm) high

Sl.800-3,000

S&K

Ixtlan del ce.

WHERE MANY SHAFT TOMBS WERE FOUND

MEXICO

WEST

ANIMAL FIGURES The propensity of ancient West

Most of the

figures

dressed standing

ui"

large as 24 lA in (61

from Nayarit are

high.

It is

been dubbed "sheepface" by collectors.

well-

some

sealed figures,

cm)

Mexican ceramicists

.is

I

tempting

he Mezcala and Chontal cultures seemed

to

work stone almost exclusively and

left

environment naturally led

presume

that these

must have been high-

status, elite individuals,

judging by the

\

fine,

irtually

little

no ceramic record. To

archaeological fieldwork has been carried

patterned garments and jewelry the figures

out

wear, highlighted in polychrome pigments.

homelands.

This

may be

figures

indicates a

but the sheer

so,

found

more common

distinct type of figure

and

is

number of such

museums and

in

marked by

is

a broad,

Another

face

and

realistically

peoples called

and

and most

their

the results are

modeled

fish,

snakes,

often, dogs.

significant quantities

human

and

figures

masks have survived, mai ked

COLIMA DOGS

by an austere, minimalist

called "Chinesco"

round

Still,

for naturalism

felines,

surrounding

in the difficult terrain

of abstract

collections today

origin.

(his Aav, very

to the

depiction of animals. The artistic tradition of these

to

to craft effigies

of almost everything in their

sculptural approach.

slit

eyes (see below). Jalisco, like its

mosdy human

neighbors, has

left

effigies to posterity.

numerous,

Most

figures

are pensive-looking individuals with heavy-

lidded eyes.

A

curious Jalisco substyle, however,

features a type of figure with a face

by

a long, tapering

':.' I-


/2 in

S300-500 BLA

it

to symbolically reenact a confrontation

case,

heavy-lidded, slanted, or tapering eyes and

dressed

as

El Tajin.

of the "heathens" surrounding them during

a warrior holding a club

was

religious art

wearing protectiv