In 2009, I had the privilege to read Natural Fashion: Tribal Decoration from Africa by Hans Silvester. This book is a collection of photographs featuring two groups of people from the Omo Valley in Ethiopia, the Mursi and the Surma. This book made a lasting impression on me due to the incredible beauty and dignity evident in these people. I chose to concentrate on the Mursi for the purposes of this paper. The Omo Valley is in southwestern Ethiopia. The Mursi share the southwestern borderlands with six other groups; the Suri, Dizi, Me'en, Kwegu, Bodi and Nyangatom tribal peoples. These peoples are indigenous to Ethiopia and have inhabited the lowlands of the Omo Valley for several hundred years.
http://www.ethiopianriftvalleysafaris.com/pics/map2.jpg
The Mursi are a nomadic people, moving in search of water for themselves and their cattle. The Mursi are a agricultural-pastoral group. The Mursi raise cattle and cultivate sorghum and corn when conditions allow. The Mursi, do however, live in fixed locations depending on the time of year. This lifestyle of following the seasonal movement of their livestock is known as transhumance. The Mursi peoples lives are constrained by periods of intense drought. These extended droughts have brought the modern world knocking on their doors. The Mursi and all tribal people of the Omo Valley currently face the loss of everything they hold dear. The Ethiopian government has leased lands in the Omo Valley to agricultural concerns for the growing of cotton, sugar cane and palm oil. To provide water for these crops the Ethiopian government has plans in place to build the Gibe 3 dam. The Ethiopian government also has plans to resettle all tribal people who live in large villages. Th...
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...ine." Natural History Magazine. Web. 01 Mar. 2012. .
"Mursi Online." Mursi Online. Web. 07 Mar. 2012. .
"Seven Tribes Threatened by Ethiopian National Park." Native Solutions to Conservation Refugees. Web. 02 Mar. 2012. .
Silvester, Hans W. Natural Fashion: Tribal Decoration from Africa. London: Thames & Hudson, 2009. Print.
"StoryCulture." Les Tribus De L'Omo. Web. 02 Mar. 2012. . This web site includes fifty of Silvester's photographs.
"Survival International - The Movement for Tribal Peoples." Survival International. Web. 03 Mar. 2012. .
During his research Barker utilizes a series of methods in his quest to understand these indigenous people, from this he was able to capture his readers and make them understand issues that surround not only people form third worlds; but how these people and their struggles are related to us. By using ethnographic methods, such as: interviews,participant observation, key consultants/informants,detailed note-taking/ census, and controlled historical comparisons. In these practices Barker came to understand the people and their culture, of which two things became a big subject in his book. The first being Tapa, “a type of fiber made from bark that the Maisin people use as a stable for cloths and other cloth related uses. Defining both gender roles and history; proving income and also a symbol of identity to the people” (Barker 5-6). And the other being their forest, of which logging firms the Maisin and Non Government Organizations (NGO’s), had various views, wants and uses for the land. Logging firms wished to clear the area to plant cash crops such as oil palms, while the NGO’s wanted the land to remain safe; all the while the Maisin people were caught in the middle by the want to preserve their ancestors lands and the desperate need to acquire cash. With these two topics highlighted throughout Barkers ethnography the reader begins is journey into understanding and obtaining questions surrounding globalization and undeveloped
There are many cultures throughout the world, which may be far apart and yet still have similarities. Two of those such cultures, the Basseri, that live in Iran, and the Nuer, whom live in Sudan, have their differences, but also have some similarities. Many of the differences and similarities come from their subsistence strategies and the social and political organization of their societies. With the regions of the world, both the Basseri and the Nuer live in, they’ve had to adapt to the environment they live in along with the limitations imposed by that environment.
Wade Davis’ article, Among the Waorani, provides much of the content brought to light in Nomads of the Rainforest. His article delves deeper into their culture and motivations allowing one to more fully understand their beliefs, relationships, and savagery. Both the documentary and article attempt to create a picture of their close-knit relationships and their desire f...
A majority of southeastern art was lost when they were removed from their homes and moved onto reservations. It is through portable objects that were collected or bought by westerners that southeastern art survives. The main example this paper will be drawing from is a bandouliere bag titled only as Shoulder Bag made by the Cherokee people in the 1830s during the height of bandouliere bag production. It measures 20 x 23.5 cm and is currently held by the University of California in San Diego. A bandouliere bag is a bag that is worn crossbody with a large panel and a small pocket. The beadwork typically covers the strap as well as the front panel. Depending on the region the strap ends with different fringes and shapes. Almost universally, the beading pattern across the strap changes into a similar but distinctly different pattern when it reaches the top of the arch and travels back down. Most bag designs have a strong sense of balance but actively avoid symmetry. They also typically operate within a limited color pallet with certain colors being associated with different tribes. Although the most well known form for southeastern beadwork is the bandouliere bag, beadwork was also used in clothing such as belts and beaded panels. In some regions such as the Great Lakes bandouliere bags became objects to display artfully designed beadwork and lost their function as a
This essay deals with the nature of a cross cultural encounter between the Benin people and Portuguese traders in the 15th and 16th centuries, which resulted in the depiction of Portuguese figures in Benin brass plaques. It will propose that this contact between people with different cultures was on the basis of'mutual regard' (Woods, K. 2008, p. 16), and although the Portuguese had qualms about idolatry in Benin it will show that assumptions by Europeans up to the 20th century of the primitive nature of tribal African societies was inaccurate with regard to the Benin people, who had a society based on the succession of the King or 'Oba', a Royal Family and Nobility. The essay will finally suggest that Benin’s increase in wealth following the arrival of the Portuguese led to a resurgence in bronze sculptures and the introduction of a new form, the rectilinear plaque. The plaque under consideration, is of a forward facing man, with an aquiline nose, thin lips, neatly trimmed beard, wearing a sun hat with flaps and looking intently at the viewer. He is dressed in a typical 16th century Portuguese style, wearing a decorated tunic with padded shoulders and tight breeches with short boots.
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,
Zahan, Dominique. The Religion, Spirituality, and Thought of Traditional Africa. Trans. Kate Ezra Martin and Lawrence M. Martin. Chicago: U of Chicago Press, 1979.
The way of the Ju/‘hoansi life has changed dramatically in many ways throughout the years. However, it is still possible to reflect upon their original way of life and compare it with their present state of living. Most of the changes occurred due to environmental, economical, developmental, social and cultural changes. All of which play a vital role in determining a Ju’s way of life. Although the land of the Dobe and !Kangwa have developed and changed in recent years, there are still some remnants of how the environment used to be. A significant shift in social and cultural aspects of the Ju/‘hoansi life can be observed in the new environment. However, some important aspects of their culture and belief system are still reflected in their everyday lives.
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. Over time, concepts of ‘Race’, defined as a distinct group with a common lineage, and ‘Primitive’ which pertains to the beginning or origin,, have been inextricably linked with the perception of Africa. The confusion of the two in the minds of people at the end of the 19th century, and some of the 20th, caused a sense of superiority amongst the ‘White Races’ that affected every aspect of their interaction with ‘the Black’. The ‘Civilisation’ of Africa by conquest and force is justified by these views.
“…combination of swarthy skin, European dress and deportment, knowledge of local customs, and multilingualism” which “…gave them inside understanding of both African and European ways” (Berlin, p.23),
“Ever since African civilisations bloomed, hairstyles have been used to indicated a person’s marital status age, religion, ethnic identity, wealth and rank within the community” (2002:3)
Contini, Mila, Fashion From Ancient Egypt to the Present Day. New York: Crescent Books, 1965. Print.
Twagilimana, Aimable. Hutu and Tutsi (Heritage Library of African Peoples Central Africa). 1st ed. New York: Rosen Publishing Group, 1998.
The Maasai People from Kenya represent a pastoral society. They rely on the taming and herding of livestock as a means for survival. Those responsible for herding livestock are the Maasai warriors and boys, especially during drought season. They had cattle, goats and sheep as their livestock. I did notice a social transformation in their society. Each individual has their job to complete daily. For example, the women formed the houses, milked the cattle, cooked for the family and supplied them with water. The men made the fence around the Kraal and secured the society and the boys were responsible for herding livestock. These multiple duties, commanded by the elderly, eventually started emerging to new and different customs such as trading with local groups. This was