The Cameroon Grasslands are known for their different styles of art that represent different social statuses. One significant style of art that indicates status is dedicated to royalty. Royal art not only represents the supremacy of the nation’s ruling family, but also of its people. Masks, such as the Elephant Mask, are used to represent kings and their power throughout funerals. The Elephant Mask of the Cameroon people is valuable not only for its place in funerary practices, but it also represents the importance of the kings and their power in society.
The Elephant Mask is made by the Cameroon people of Africa. This particular Elephant Mask is a part of the Stanely Collection found at the University of Iowa Museum of Art. The mask as a whole is made of wood. The majority of the mask has a dark brown, almost black color, with an accent of a light tan brown color throughout. The wood looks as if it was sanded down to give it a smooth appearance along the head and trunk. The mask appears to be in good
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condition with no missing or broken pieces. The mask is fully symmetrical and measures 103.5 centimeters in length. The Elephant Mask has intricate details. The face of the mask is domed so it is able to sit on the top of one’s head. The mask includes the head, trunk, tusks, and ears. The head has eyes etched on both sides where the face starts to extend into the trunk. The eyes are a light brown color that draw attention to them from the dark wood. The trunk is a long, slender extension that extends outward, off the mask. At the end of the trunk, there are two indents representing the nasal cavities. The trunk is directly above the mouth of the elephant. The teeth are a rectangular shape carved into the mask and are covered with white pigment. Two tusks project outward from the ends of the mouth in a semicircle. At the end of the tusks there appears to be white pigment scattered. The ears of the Elephant Mask are oval and concaved. The ears have a light brown and dark brown color with black lines, accenting along the inside of the ear giving the ears some texture. The trunk, tusks, and ears contribute to the mask by allowing more volume, making the mask appear to be an actual elephant. The Elephant Mask captures the light giving the face and trunk a smooth appearance. Yet the tusks and ears appear to be rough in texture. The light draws particular attention of the dark and light color contrast played with on the mask giving it character. The mask sits stiff on top of one’s head, horizontally, with no movement. The Elephants Mask’s exquisite details resemble the power of the people they are worn for. The Elephant mask is a beautiful mask made by the Cameroonian people that is a part of the Stanley Collection at the University of Iowa Museum of Art where it states that it is just made in the Cameroon Grasslands. However, research shows that the mask is often made in Bali, part of the Cameroon Grasslands. Cameroon have a vast variety of cultures and styles of art. The Cameroon Grasslands art styles are divided into nine regions including the Coast, South, Rainforest, Widekum, Bamileke, Bamenda, Bamum, Mambila, and North. Having regions enables people to distinguish and understand all the different styles of the grasslands. Grasslands of Cameroon are a part of the Savanna. They divide the Grasslands then, into the Western Grassfields, Bamileke, and Bamum. The Western Grassfields is where Bali is associated. Bali is established in the Northwestern part of Cameroon where the Bamenda style is from. Although Bali is established with the Bamenda style, the grassfield kingdoms are often a combination of styles from the Bamileke, Bamum and Bamenda due to migration of them over time. While researching the Elephant Mask I have found the wooden mask made by different cultures including the Bamileke and Bamenda. Bamileke have an estimated one million following this culture. They also have about ninety kingdoms. In the past, most of their work were carvings in posts and shrines, but now many masks have been their prime work of art. Elephant masks are often portrayed in their work. In both the Bamenda and Bamileke, their work can represent the royalty of the grasslands. I have stated that the Cameroon people construct royal art, but what exactly does that mean? Among the Cameroonians it is common to believe in a so called divine kingship. The grasslands are dispersed into multiple kingdoms, including Bali, where the Elephant Mask originated. In these divine kingships, there are various kinds of power, but one that is prestigious, is the power of the king. Kings in ruling can be called multiple names including Fon, Chief, or Sultan.
The most commonly name used to refer to a king is fon. Ruling across the lands by fons are not given by showing they are tough, powerful, or able to rule, but it is passed along through blood lineages from generations to generations. Since kingship is passed down through a family, these families often have many royal ancestors. Fon’s are the ones who take care of the whole kingdom. He not only takes care of them, but he watches out for every person’s safety. The fon always has a Kan Mfomungwi, otherwise known as the queen. He is allowed to have as many wives as he pleases. Most importantly though, the female who has his first child is called the First Wife. This is an idolized position because you prove the fon is fertile. Having several children is considered successful to the fon upon his death. This ensures that the family will still hold the royal crown when the fon
dies. Being the fon’s wife is something all the young women dream of. By taking the role as the wife they are not only bearing his children, but the fon and others look upon them for advice. The fons may be the face of ruling, but he also governs with a regulatory society. In Bali this regulatory society is called Ngumba. The fon is the most powerful person in the grasslands and makes the majority of the decisions regarding their kingdom with the help of the regulatory society. The regulatory society is composed of all males that help make decisions, but it is ultimately up to the fon. If the fon is making questionable decisions regarding his kingdom, the regulatory society reserve the right to punish him. Punishments of the Fon often lead to the death of him. All of those reasons above from governing, having multiple wives, and just being Fon show how powerful the fons actually are. These fons are honored in such a way that they have royal art that represent them. Animals such as the elephant, leopard, and buffalos are used to represent the supreme people of the Cameroon Grasslands. Out of all the royal art, the Elephant Mask portrays royalty and the honored males in the grasslands, which includes the fon. Elephants to the Cameroons are majestic and strong animals, hence why they represent the most powerful individuals. One reason the Elephant Mask depicts fons are because elephants are so valuable to the people. Elephants populated the grasslands of Cameroon until men started to game hunt, killing off large animals including elephants and hippos. Fons claim the first kill on game hunting which exhibits their power once again. Ivory is considered a “luxury item” that portrays wealth. Only powerful leaders own ivory which is used in their art to show their high ranking. Royal families are often represented by an ivory bracelet made from an elephant’s tusk which shows their ability to reign over the elephants. These royal items are considered sacred due to the importance. The elephants represent royalty in a multitude of ways including the beautiful ivory which is for trade. Fons and elephants can reflect each other in how they rule the land. Elephants are considered legends when they destroy trees by pulling them out of the ground. Fons get a prize, such as a female, for hunting elephants. Elephants are one of the idolized animals which is another reason why elephants are perfect for presenting fon since they are too. In some cases elephant tusks can even be placed on the burial site, or between the fon’s limbs as they are being laid to rest. By having these placed, they can have relations with ancestors. In Africa, funeral rituals are an important way to honor the deceased and the ancestors. In the Cameroon Grasslands they have funerals called cry-dies which the Elephant Mask performs. This celebration is particularly for a man’s death including the fon. Cry-dies are memorials services that take place after burial to remember a person’s life. At cry-dies they show all of the male’s accomplishments and what he did throughout his lifetime. These ceremonies are the fons last debut as he is laid to rest. Cry-dies are extravagant celebrations that allow the deceased male go to the world of ancestors. Cry-dies festivities are held during the dry season during the months December to February. Death celebrations are held during dry season when they are able to rejoice with food and drinks. The death of a fon is often the fanciest cry-die of them all. These ceremonies are important for the Cameroon Grasslands. This is a time to celebrate the king and reflect on the things he and their ancestors have done for them. They celebrate with more food and drinks because they are able to give back. There are also more masks prominent when a fon dies including the Elephant Mask which is specifically made for him. The person who has died is buried, and then the cry-dies are held. The cry-dies can last over a long period of time, but most last one week. Masks at cry-dies are just masks until they have the whole costume, music, and dancers to perform. The mask can then take the form of the spirit. The Elephant Mask is not complete until it has its costume. The performers wear the mask with a fishnet looking material under, covering their faces. Elephant Masks of a fon are only worn by the owner’s blood relatives. Masks in the case of a fon, can represent a royal crown sitting on their head. At cry-dies, the Elephant Mask is called the second mask. The first mask is the called the Nkang. Nkang masks do not represent any ancestors, it just represents humans and is used to help and protect their well-being. The pristine Elephant Masks that symbolizes the fons beauty, wealth, and power at cry-dies are the last to enter the cry-dies and the last to leave, leaving their divine presence of the fon over the people. The almighty fon is an iconic roll in the Cameroon Grasslands. He plays an important role in taking care of his kingdom. The Elephant mask, which is created to be worn for the fon for when he is deceased, is vital during cry-dies to show the accomplishments and authority embodied by the fon. The Elephant Mask not only helps deceased go to the ancestor world, but passes the importance of power, culture, and death to the Cameroon Grasslands.
The display of Benin art in museum and galleries reflect the attitudes and perceptions of Europeans towards non-western artefacts, especially African. Thus as European attitudes change towards non-western art since the discovery of Benin art in 1897, Benin art has been revaluated and re-categorised.
In conclusion, the portrayal of ancient rulers is dependent not only on the style of art popular during the era, but also on the evolution of the political climate. The portrayal of Menkaure, a pharaoh of the Old Kingdom in ancient Egypt, is of complete authority, control and power. His face does not show concern or grief over his people, because he is not challenged politically, the image of control coincides with his sole power over the kingdom. While the depiction of Alexander the Great, in ancient Greek coins is deified. Alexander’s leadership ended with world domination; therefore, his deified portrayal on monetary funds is particularly appropriate. By contrast, Philip the Arab’s portrait sculpture almost resembles a present day photograph with its capture of fleeting expression. This expression of anxiety and sadness is a representation of the political turmoil during the time period of his rule. Taking the progress of ancient cultures into account, how does the art of sculpting improve in the manipulation of the medium used?
The Egyptian culture was a culture that lasted about 3,000 years and was located near the Nile River. The Nile River provided most of the resources for the Egyptians; therefore, a lot of the artwork was based on representing these bountiful resources. Another major influence of the artwork that was created was the kings and gods that were held at such high standards (Stokstad and Cothren, 50). There is one king in particular that was known in history for his great accomplishments, this king was King Narmer. The Egyptian’s expressed their respect for this king through a palette known as The Palette of Narmer. This piece is one of the firsts of Egyptian times that sets the morals for Egyptian artwork; it was created in the Early Dynastic time period. The Palette of Narmer tells a vast political story of the history of Egypt and the king, King Narmer.
There have many King and Queens throughout the centuries of the world. Some even still remain today, like Queen Elizabeth of England. Rulers, as some people would call them were seen as a public figure as in some cases even as gods. Some even were considered cruel beyond all belief, one ruler was even nicknamed Bloody Mary because of how cruel she was. The Ruler I’m going to talk about is cousins to that ruler but her name is Queen Mary of the Scotts
Crooked Beak of Heaven Mask is a big bird-figure mask from late nineteenth century made by Kwakwaka’wakw tribe. Black is a broad color over the entire mask. Red and white are used partially around its eyes, mouth, nose, and beak. Its beak and mouth are made to be opened, and this leads us to the important fact in both formal analysis and historical or cultural understanding: Transformation theme. Keeping that in mind, I would like to state formal analysis that I concluded from the artwork itself without connecting to cultural background. Then I would go further analysis relating artistic features to social, historical, and cultural background and figure out what this art meant to those people.
Many African cultures see life as a cycle we are born, we grow and mature, enter adulthood, and one day we will eventually die but the cycle continues long after death. In Africa art is used as a way to express many things in their society, in this paper I will focus on different ways traditional African art are used to describe the cycle of one’s life. Since Africa is such a large continent it is important to keep in mind that every country and tribe has different rituals and views when it comes to the cycle of life. It is estimated to be well over a thousand different ethnic groups and cultures in Africa today. Thousands of cultures in Africa see the stages of life bound together in a continuous cycle; a cycle of birth, growth, maturity,
Western attitudes to African people and culture have always affected how their art was appreciated and this has also coloured the response to the art from Benin.
The Boli, or altar, figure from the Bamana peoples of Mali is a unique piece of art not based on what an individual knows about the figure, but rather what it doesn’t. The Boli has a secretive quality that harness energy from the community and peoples reactions to the Boli can fluctuate based on their interpretations on the object. The Boli is made of materials ranging from human bodily fluid to sticks and string. The figure is generally made to resemble an animal, typically a hippopotamus or cow, but over time with sacrificial material covering the figure it can become somewhat unclear. The Bamana peoples have an obscure relationship with the Boli for many reasons that could sprout from the materials it is made from, its uses in the society, and its extremely secretive nature.
The ancient Egyptians are known for many of the incredible aspects of their culture and everything they have produced. Some of the well known ancient Egyptian relics are the ones like the ancient pyramids, the Great Sphinx of Giza, mummies, and their many forms of art. Ancient Egyptian art is one of the most recognized styles of art. The most commonly known types of ancient Egyptian art are types like paintings, ceramics, and sculptures. Not only is Egyptian art beautiful, but it carries a huge deal of value and significance with it. A great portion of the time, the art has some kind of religious meaning to it. Consequently it is very difficult to discuss the art itself without delving into the various gods and goddesses presented in it. Something that particularly struck me about ancient Egyptian art was their proneness to use animals in their art. Not only do they use the animal’s full figure, but they also put individual parts on human bodies. This intrigued me because not many cultures have art that embrace animals to this extent. I will be exploring why the ancient Egyptians depict animals in their art repeatedly, and considering what they meant to them.
The common name is the African Elephant, the scientific name is Loxodonta Africana, the phylum is Vertebrata, the class is Mammalia, the order is Proboscidea, and the family is Elephantidae. The Closest Relatives to the African Elephant are: the Asian Elephant, mammoths, primitive proboscidean (mastodons), sea cows, and hyraxes. Scientists believe that the African Elephant evolved from one of its closest relatives, the Sea Cow. The geographical location and range of the African elephant covers all of central and southern Africa. In Ethiopia there are isolated populations that exist around Lake Chad in Mali and Mauritania. Also in Kenya, Rhodesia, Tanzania, Zambia, Uganda, Zaire, and in National parks located in South Africa, as well as several other countries. African Elephants, originally, were found in all of the Sub-Saharan African habitats except desert steppes. Elephants still occupy diverse habitats such as: temperate grassland, tropical savanna and grass lands, temperate forest and rainforest, tropical rainforest, tropical scrub forest, and tropical deciduous forest despite their drastic decline in numbers. However, their migratory patterns and habitat use have changed, due to the fact that they are restricted to protected areas. The elephant can exist in many types of environments but it prefers places that have many trees and bushes, which the elephant needs both for food and shade. They also like warm areas that have plenty of rainfall.
In the essay "Elephants, Ivory, and an indelible Experience", the author experienced a humbling experience that caused him to burn his ivory collection. Ultimately, his near death experience of being chased by the bull and the other elephants changed the authors view point about the animal itself. Hrishikesh Unni's view point changed because he realized the cruelty elephants go to in obtaining the ivory from their tusks. He also changed his view point from positive to negative on the ivory collection itself. Instead of looking at the collection from the standpoint of money value, Hrisikesh views it in the amount of life
Across cultures, continents, and worlds, the majority of things within the scope of our very own humanity can be boiled down to two things: those who are dominant, and those who get dominated. Within these statuses lie stories of power struggles, rebellion, the rising and falling of those with influence, and the interconnection between a being with power and the people under his ruling. Through the visual works catered to this subject, we will discuss themes such as the power of immortalization, divinity amongst humans, what it really means to be a ruler, and many other details making up the ever-present, multifaceted relationship between rulers and their subject. With the assistance of the Blanton Museum of Art, I will be able to showcase
Carved with the image of kings, queen mothers, leopards and warrior, the carved ivory tusk is from the kingdom Benin in Nigeria. It is an object recorded the supreme power and achievement of former kings. In the kingdom of Benin, after a king died, his son will inherit his throne. Then the new king will choose motifs that can represent his father and his kingdom and carved it on tusks to remind people of him. These tusks are always put in the altar of former kings established by his son and supported by the brass heads of kings and queen mothers (Dark
Based on the advice given by his father, King Merong Mahapudisat ruled his eldest son to be the King of Siam, the middle prince as King of Perak and his third son, a princess, as
Most art has some sort of reason or purpose behind it. It might be religious, symbolic, literal, traditional, customary, or just a preference by the artist. Most African art has a symbolic reason. Masks, pottery, figures, portraits, jewelry, baskets and clothing reflect the religious belief of the different tribes. Africans believed that everything in nature is alive. For example: rocks, grass, plants, trees, rivers and mountains. African art was not popular and was looked down upon until recently. In Nigeria, people were tattooed as a test of courage. The figure- “Portrait Head of a King (Oni)” reflects this. The King has this tattooing on his entire face. The King has big slanted eyes, a prominent nose, and big full lips. All these things represented something to the Nigerian people; the King...