Africa, East; Tanzania -- Social life and customs; Nyamwezi (African people); Rites and ceremonies -- Tanzania; Tanzania -- Religion; Sculpture; Ancestor worship
The religion of the Nyamwese peoples of East Africa, like many traditional African religions, focuses upon a creator God and the eternal spirits of deceased ancestors. One central practice involves saying special prayers and making offerings to...
Nigeria; Nigeria - social life and customs; Yoruba (African people); Yoruba (African people) - social life and customs; Nineteen fifties
The Federal Republic of Nigeria is a country in West Africa. The three largest cultures are the Hausa-Fulani in the north, the Igbo in the southeast, and the Yoruba in the southwest. Egungun translates as masquerade in the Yoruba language. This...
Yoruba (African people); Yoruba (African people) -- Social life and customs; Chairs
In ancient and current Yoruba culture, people of importance are symbolically and physicallly separated from the rest of society. At specific times, the feet of alaase (rulers, priests and initiates) must not be in physical contact with the earth....
Cliff-dwellers; Indians of North America -- Southwest, New; Pueblo Indians; Implements, utensils, etc.; Anasazi
The Ancestral Puebloans (Anasazi) lived in the present-day Four Corners region, which includes New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. They lived in this area from AD1 and AD1300 and are thought to be the ancestors of the modern Pueblo Indians now...
Mali; Dogon (African people); Dogon (African people) -- Social life and customs; Dogon (African people) -- Religion and mythology; Dogon (African people) -- Rites and ceremonies; Dance; Sculpture
Like many cultures, the cliff-dwelling Dogon peoples of rural Mali in West Africa have special beliefs and practices related to death. It is believed that after a person dies, even if his body is removed, his spirit remains in his home. The spirit...
Many African cultures use divination oracles or devices as a method of predicting future events or making important decisions. The Baule peoples of the Ivory Coast use the Gberke, or mouse oracle. Oral tradition claims that long ago mice could...
Drum; Thailand; Thailand -- Social life and customs; Rain and rainfall
The first rain drums, made centuries ago, had little bronze frogs around the drum heads. Because frogs are associated with water and rain, the drums are often called rain drums. When played, the entire drum vibrates to create its sound....
Africa; Ghana; Ashanti (African people); Kente cloth; Kente cloth -- Ghana; Hand weaving; Handicraft -- Africa; Africa, Art
This cloth strip is very special. It was made in the Ghanaian village, Wonoo, world-renowned as one of the centers of manufacture for Asante kente cloth. This strip was purchased from a shop owned by Nana Asante-Frempong, one of many premiere...
Indonesia; Indonesia -- Social life and customs; Sculpture; Indonesia -- Religion; Mythology, Indonesian; Folklore -- Indonesia; Sculpture
The Nias people live on the small island of Nias just west of the larger island of Sumatra in Indonesia. The Nias believe that their ancestors continue to watch over them and, if treated respectfully, give them guidance in life. Ancestor figures...
Drum; Akan (African people); Akan (African people)--Ghana--Social life and customs; Ghana; Musical instruments; Percussion instruments
Certain African drums are called “talking drums.” Skilled drummers can create such a range of sound from them that it seems as if they can speak. This drum, called “atumpan,” is a type of talking drum used by the Akan peoples of Ghana. They...
AIDS (Disease); Wire craft; South Africa; Recycling (Waste, etc.); Plates (Tableware); Basket making; Handicraft
Wire basketry has a long tradition in South Africa. In the 1950s, telephone-wire baskets (or imbenge) became popular and have grown in popularity ever since. Among artists, the wire is known as "scooby-wire," or "scooby-do", or...
Paleo-Indians; Paleo-Indians -- Implements; Arrowheads; Projectile points; Indians of North America -- Implements; Indians of North America -- Antiquities; Tools
Clovis points are among the oldest tools found in North America and have often been discovered with the remains of ice age animals, such as mastodons and mammoth. They were made and used by the Clovis people, also called Paleo-Indians, who are...
Cliff-dwellers; Indians of North America -- Southwest, New; Pueblo Indians; Bowls (Tableware); Anasazi
The Ancestral Puebloans (Anasazi) lived in the present-day Four Corners region, which includes New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. They lived in this area from AD1 and AD1300 and are thought to be the ancestors of the modern Pueblo Indians now...
Masks; Senufo (African people); Senufo (African people)--Social life and customs; Co^te d'Ivoire; Burkina Faso; Ghana; Mali; Africa, West; Rites and ceremonies
This type of mask, called kpelie, is worn among Senufo peoples of Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Mali in West Africa. It combines a human face with features of different animals. The face is meant to represent the Senufo ideal of female...
Masks; Masks, African; Africa -- Social life and customs; Africa -- Religious life and customs; Spiders; Cameroon; Bamileke (African people); Bamileke (African people) -- Rites and ceremonies
What do you see in the crown of this mask? They are very abstract, but you should be able to see a lot of spiders! The round knobs represent spider bodies with legs stretching out to meet the legs of surrounding spiders. In many African cultures,...
Gullahs; Gullahs -- Social life and customs; Dolls; African-Americans; Sea Islands
Look at the clothing, hairstyle & jewelry worn by this doll circa 1995. Can you guess where it came from? Africa? It was actually made by the Gullah people who live on the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina & Georgia. Their...
Cliff-dwellers; Indians of North America -- Southwest, New; Anasazi; Storage jars; Pueblo Indians
The Ancestral Puebloans (Anasazi) lived in the present-day Four Corners region, which includes New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. They lived in this area from AD1 and AD1300 and are thought to be the ancestors of the modern Pueblo Indians now...
