I found myself spending another day at a different Smithsonian Museum. As most of you will know February is Black History month so of course there are a lot of things going on in the area. I decide to head into the Museum of African Art on a Saturday…which is unlike me because I do not like museums on the weekend, but there were a couple events going on at the museum so I went anyway. The first thing that was going on was a little bit of African drumming. Don’t worry there will be a movie posted so you can enjoy it as well. The second event going on was the showing of a documentary film called "500 Year’s Later". It is all about the effects that slavery had and continues to have today on Africa and the African-American community. It of course concluded with a discussion about the film and some of the possible solutions. A very lively discussion. The film was absolutely brilliant and opened my eyes to a lot of issues that I really have not seen before. If you have a chance check out the website www.mkasante.com It is the website of the young man (he is only 25 so I can call him that) who wrote the film.
Some drumming for your enjoyment
The museum is in the process of putting together a few new galleries but here are a few pictures from the items that are on display now. I will be heading back in March or April to check out the new exhibits so there will be more pictures later.
This figure once guarded ancestral bones preserved in large baskets.
This mask is from the Wee Peoples of the Cote D’Ivoire. It is a female performance mask. The lines of tacks on the cheeks and forehead are indicative of old styles of scarification or the face paint still worn by women for ceremonial occasions.
This rare mask of the Bamileke people of Cameroon was used as an instrument of social control and represented the power of the king and his court. A dancer (a high-ranking person) would wear it on his head with a costume to conceal his identity and create a figure that was large and more than human. The mask really is as big as it looks.
A mask of the Idoma peoples of Nigeria.
This bowl would have been owned by someone of high status and most likely held kola nuts, which are a traditional gesture of hospitality. It is from the Yoruba peoples of the Ekiti Region of Nigeria.
This is a Veranda Post also from the Yoruba peoples of the Ekiti Region of Nigeria.
According to one field informant this figure is of King Bay Akiy who was the fourth ruler of Isu Kingdom of the grasslands region of Cameroon. The pose relates to a regional tradition of representing personal achievement. King Bay Akiy is depicted on return from a victory over a neighbouring group, the Nshe.
Julie
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