BIRDS IN AFRICAN ART. Beyond Flight BIRDS IN AFRICAN ART

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Shannon Hall
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1 BIRDS IN AFRICAN ART Gitenga cartwheels into view. Clad in a tightfitting costume of woven, brown raffia and crowned with a mask made of fiber and feathers, he moves through the crowd in a series of dynamic, athletic movements. A benevolent ancestral presence, he appears only at the most important rites and rituals: the funerals of local chiefs and the initiation rites that transform boys into men. The abstract nature of Gitenga s mask speaks to his power and beneficence. This is not a portrait of a specific ancestor, but rather, represents them all through its association with our lifesustaining sun. The woven disc of the facial plane and the white paint found on its surface represent the sun s shape and light. Equally as important is the crown of green and dark blue feathers that encircle the face. These were plucked from the Great Blue Turaco (kolomvu), a shy, elusive bird that spends most of its life in the canopy of the dense Congolese rainforest. Chosen for Gitenga because of their color and the relative rarity of the bird from which they come, these feathers speak to darkness. Their inclusion sends a powerful message: even in times of darkness, the sun is still present and waiting to emerge. Focus object/center case (Platform labels), page 1 of 2

2 Gitenga Mask, mid-20th century Pende region, Democratic Republic of the Congo Great Blue Turaco feathers, fiber, wood, pigment, paint purchased as the gift of amy gould and matthew polk, gibson island, maryland, bma Focus object (Center case) Platform labels, page 2 of 2

3 AND Crouched in the tall grass of the Nigerian savanna, a Hausa hunter begins to bob his head. He twitches, pecks, and cocks it to the side. Above the vegetation, all that is visible is the movement of the man s headdress (burtu), a bird decoy made from the skull of a Ground Hornbill. Here in the wild, in the moments before a kill, the hunter s success is measured by his ability to leave his body and become, for several minutes or hours, like a bird. All masquerades are acts of metamorphosis. During each performance, the masked performer must abandon their identity and assume that of the mask they dance. The artworks you see here all of them masks are representations of birds. When each is danced, human becomes animal. Some, like the hawk (duho) and rooster (kobiay) masks made by Bwa artists in Burkina Faso, were spiritual creatures associated with specific clans and families. Others, like the Hausa burtu and Mambila crow mask (nsua-ndua), are more secular and represent birds that were regular features of village life. All were danced at important gatherings like funerals and agricultural festivities. Birds and Becoming (Platform labels), page 1 of 4

4 artist unidentified Hunter s Bird Decoy Headdress (Burtu), early 20th century Hausa region, Niger or Nigeria Ground Hornbill skull and beak, wood, leather, abrus seeds, glass, feather Hornbill Mask, early 20th century Nunuma or Nuna region, Burkina Faso Wood, pigment, paint gift of robert and nancy nooter, washington, d.c., bma gift of alan wurtzburger, bma Birds and Becoming (Platform labels), page 2 of 4

5 artist unidentified Crow Mask (Nsua-Ndua), early 20th century Mambila region, Cameroon Wood, pigment, paint Hawk Mask (Duho), early to mid-20th century Bwa region, Burkina Faso Wood, pigment, resin gift of barry and toby t. hecht, bethesda, maryland, bma gift of gilbert and jean jackson, potomac, maryland, bma Birds and Becoming (Platform labels), page 3 of 4

6 Rooster Mask (Kobiay), early to mid-20th century Bwa region (Didiro clan area), Burkina Faso Wood, leather, pigment, paint gift of john clayton davis, alexandria, virginia, bma Birds and Becoming (Platform labels), page 4 of 4

7 AND A man opens the door to his home. A woman weaves a skirt on her loom. A child opens a bowl containing their favorite treat. Three everyday actions. Three moments that may occur countless times throughout an individual s life. Three household objects made more beautiful by birds. The works in this section speak to the ways in which birds beautify daily life across sub-saharan Africa. None of these pieces carry any deep or symbolic meaning. They do not represent anything extraordinary. Rather, they are simple, functional objects sculpted to resemble birds. The artists who created them took pride in their work and even sought to make objects that would mimic the actions of the birds. Picture how sliding the Dogon door lock back and forth would have resembled the movement of wings. Imagine a woman looking up from her weaving to see the head of her loom pulley bob up and down. Envision a family sitting down to dinner in much the same position as the birds featured on the Mossi container. Works like these delighted their owners and enlivened the most commonplace of routines. Birds and Beauty (Case labels), page 1 of 3

8 Lidded Vessel with Birds, mid-20th century Mossi region, Burkina Faso Clay gift of robert s. zigler, washington, d.c., bma artist unidentified Heddle Pulley, late 19th early 20th century Senufo region, Côte d Ivoire, Burkina Faso or Mali Wood anonymous gift, bma Birds and Beauty (Case labels), page 2 of 3

9 Heddle Pulley, early 20th century Senufo region, Côte d Ivoire Wood, fiber anonymous gift, bma artist unidentified Door Lock, 20th century Dogon region, Mali Wood, iron bequest of doris s. rief, baltimore, bma Birds and Beauty (Case labels), page 3 of 3

10 AND Standing on the sunbaked savannas of western Uganda, a Karamojong elder cuts a striking profile. Dressed to the nines, he has adorned himself with beaded jewelry and iron weaponry as a sign of his seniority. In a nomadic society such as his, marks of prestige are most frequently worn or displayed on the body. The most striking feature of his appearance, however, is the vibrant, removable cap (etimat) that he wears on the back of his head. Made from mud and human hair, it is painted in electric green, orange, and blue and prominently features the feathers of an ostrich. A large and important bird for a large and important man. Across Africa, feathers have been used to enhance the appearance of people with wealth and status. Many pieces, like the Karamojong etimat or Cameroonian prestige hat, incorporate feathers from large, rare, or hard-to-capture birds. The time and skill required to capture these creatures correspond to the importance of the men and women who wear their plumage. Other works incorporate feathers from birds with spiritual significance. This Luba diviner s hat (nkaka), for instance, features chicken feathers, a frequently sacrificed bird in this central African society. Birds and Power (Case labels), page 1 of 3

11 Man s Prestige Hat, early 20th century Grasslands region, Cameroon Fiber, feathers gift of ed decarbo, new york, bma artist unidentified Diviner s Headdress (Nkaka), 20th century Luba region, Democratic Republic of the Congo Fibers, feathers, glass beads, pigment, cowrie shells gift of ed decarbo, new york, bma Birds and Power (Case labels), page 2 of 3

12 Men s Headdress (Etimat), 1950s 1980s Karamojong region, Uganda Hair, dry mud, pigment, feathers, fiber, metal, glass beads gift of jonathan and ellen maltz, brookeville, maryland, bma Birds and Power (Case labels), page 3 of 3

13 AND Deep in the central African savanna, a Luba carver sits with his tools. He has been asked to sculpt a mask (kifwebe) for an upcoming festival and is contemplating how to proceed. In the past, masks of this type would have been used to chase away evil and ensure tranquility in the region. However, it is the 1970s, and belief in the old traditions is waning. The sculptor knows he has more creative liberty. The result is a human-owl hybrid that retains the color patterns and humanoid head of traditional bifwebe masks, but incorporates the hooked beak of an owl, a harbinger of death in Luba society. A new style is born, one that directly alludes to forces of darkness the mask was designed to eliminate. Some masks, such as those seen in the case to your right, are danced in ceremonies that attempt to mimic or bring forth the spirit of birds. Others, like those seen here, use avian imagery to represent broader religious beliefs or societal ideas. This Tusyan plank mask (loniaken), for instance, features two hornbill heads. These are references to a secret name the mask s owner would have received upon his initiation into manhood. Birds and Belief (Platform labels), page 1 of 3

14 artist unidentified Owl Mask (Kifwebe), 1970s 1980s Luba region, Democratic Republic of the Congo Wood, fiber, feathers, hair, nut shell, pigment, paint gift of barry and toby t. hecht, bethesda, maryland, bma Male Mask with Headdress (Kpakologi Sineï/ Niamu/Ngamu), early to mid-20th century Loma or Kpelle region, Liberia or Guinea Wood, feathers, fiber, fur, cowrie shells, copper alloy, hide gift of a. harvey and phyllis k. schreter, baltimore, bma Birds and Belief (Platform labels), page 2 of 3

15 Plank Mask (Loniaken), early 20th century Tusyan region, Burkina Faso Wood, fiber, pigment, hide, abrus seeds, mirrors gift of philip lee davis, key west, florida, bma Birds and Belief (Platform labels), page 3 of 3

16 AND A song sounds across a crowded marketplace. It is night and the world is illuminated only by firelight. Eye òrò o, eye òrò mbo, the singers chant. The mystical bird, here comes the mystical bird. In the hours that follow, several bird masks appear. One, a Gèlèdé headdress, dances in honor of mothers and great women. It features an African gray parrot (odíderé), a favored pet of Ìyá Nlá, the Yorùbá deity who gives women their power and authority. Birds mean different things to different groups of people. In southwestern Nigeria, the traditional home of the Yorùbá ethnic group, birds have long been associated with the spiritual realm. Flight, it was thought, allowed them to cross the necessary distances and interact directly with deities living in the astral realm. As a result, they are a frequent subject of Yorùbá religious art. Iron staff featuring birds (opa oranmiyan or opa erinle) were commissioned by Yorùbá herbalists and diviners as a sign of their spiritual authority and ability to communicate with the divine. Birds and Culture (Case labels), page 1 of 3

17 Herbalist s Staff (Opa osanyin or Opa erinle), early 20th century Yorùbá (Oyo or Igbowina) region, Nigeria Iron gift of barry and toby t. hecht, bethesda, maryland, bma artist unidentified Headdress (Igi Gèlèdé Oníjàkadi), mid-20th century Yorùbá region, Nigeria or Benin Wood, paint, fiber collection of jonathan and ellen maltz, chevy chase, maryland, r Birds and Culture (Case labels), page 2 of 3

18 Herbalist s Staff (Opa osanyin or Opa erinle), mid-20th century Yorùbá region, Nigeria Iron gift of bernice barth, los angeles, bma Birds and Culture (Case labels), page 3 of 3

Leadership. What does leadership look like?

Leadership. What does leadership look like? VMFA Resources TEacher-Directed Tour VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS Leadership African GallerY Grades 6 12 What does leadership look like? Visit VMFA s African Art Gallery to see how different cultures define