Micronesia, a group of islands in the Pacific, developed extensive navigational technology to aid in the exchange between the naturally sparse islands. This chart features wide split reeds of various lengths bound together with twine that creates a...
Headgear; Ghana; Ghana--Social life and customs; Togo--Social life and customs; Helmets; 1960s
Helmets like this one, called ipiedza, are worn by hunters and warriors among peoples of northern Ghana and Togo in Western Africa during festivals associated with hunting and war. The cow horns represent the large animal's power and strength. Used...
Yoruba (African people); Yoruba (African people) -- Social life and customs; Twins; Mourning customs
Twins hold a special place among the Yoruba of Nigeria where they have the highest rate of twin births in the world. They are protected by the God of Twins, called Ibeji,” and are believed to have the power to bring good fortune, health and...
Glass painting and staining; Painting on glass; Senegal; Senegal -- Social life and customs; Kora (Musical instrument); Musical instruments
This contemporary Senegalese painting was created with a very interesting and time-consuming technique called reverse glass painting. First, an image is drawn or simply conceptualized on one side of a piece of glass. It is then painted layer by...
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,...
