• served as a veranda post; held no actual weight
• created by Olowe of Ise
• King and his senior wife work in harmony
  • wife supports the king

• hierarchical order by size
  • the woman is the king's senior wife; her size is what is actually holding up the veranda
  • the king is no less important, as he is seated in front of his wife
• the king's crown
  • beaded- connection to past rulers and powers in the spiritual realm
  • bird- beak pointed to king symbolizes supernatural watchfulness that allows him to protect his people
    • bird also symbolizes older women, female ancestors, and female deities that support the king; collectively known to the peoples as "our mothers"

• Women are important in Yoruba society
• The king's senior wife stands behind him
  • she is crowning him in a ceremony showing that men cannot rule without the support of women
• This is one of three veranda posts carved by Olowe of Ise, a famed artist of the Yoruba peoples

• The function of this work was to honor Moya Yanso, a respected member of Baule society. Owie Kimou, a mask maker, was commissioned to carve this mask for Yanso. This mask was made to be danced by a male dancer at a secular masquerade for the Baule people.

• The subject of the mask is Moya Yanso, who is being idealized. This is because the six tubular pieces at the top of the mask symbolize her beauty and morality.

• The design of the mask was influenced by the artistic style of traditional Baule masks. The artist, Owie Kimou, lived with the Baule people and adopted their culture and mask making techniques.

• This mask is worn during masquerade rituals during the initiation of young women into the Sande society. Interestingly, this tribe is one of the few tribes that allow women to wear the masks. They wear these masks on top of their heads and then cover their faces with raffia. When these masks are not used during a ceremony, they are kept in the house of an elder woman of the Sande Society.

These masks were created with the goals in mind of entertainment, decoration, beauty and storytelling. Although the artist is unknown, historians understand that men were the ones that created these masks for women to wear, and the work was originally intended for performance.

• This mask shows an ideal woman. Additionally, themes that can be found in this work are the Body, Ceremony and Society, There is so much symbolism in this style mask. For instance, the closed eyes and mouth show that the woman has already gone through childbirth, and so, she already has respect and is all-knowing. Even more, the white large eyes are a spiritual power from giving birth. Interestingly, the hairstyle just shows the fashion in the culture of the time. Additionally, this mask is stylized because it represents the culture of the tribe, and is also idealized because the features depict beauty standards for an idealized woman.

The masks depict a portrait of the ideal Mende woman, in tandem with a raffia-covered costume that performers can wear. The subject matter is absolutely idealized, portraying the traits of the ideal woman through her facial expressions. Themes present in the work include ceremony and society, domestic life, the body and portraits.

In terms of iconography, the woman has various facial characteristics that convey an ideal. The small features and disproportionately large head display the importance of wisdom and thought process, the down-turned eyes represent the desire for a woman to be subdued, the rolls of fat under her chin convey the need for a woman to be able to bear children, and the small mouth and ears represent the idea that women should neither spread nor listen to gossip.

• Bundu masks, created in the 19thand 20th centuries in Sierra Leone, were crafted by men but worn by women during initiation masquerades. These masks represent the importance of women in Mende society, as well as the emphasis on adhering to the ideal of a young Mende woman. They portray the culture’s concept of aesthetic beauty and spiritual identity by using these masks to partake in ceremonies that bring girls into womanhood.

Ultimately, the Bundu masks impacted the history of art, especially African art, by popularizing the ideology that although women are heavily respected, they must abide by certain virtues that ensure the celebration of the idealized woman.

• Worn in masquerade only by a male dancers
• Honor women who are young and fertile
• Honor the founding female ancestors of Chokwe

• Subject Matter and Narrative – an ideal woman
  • Mouth and eyes closed: doesn’t need to talk or see because she’s already knowing
• Theme: spirits and ancestors; masquerades
• Iconography/symbols– facial feature: serenity
  • Whiteness around the eyes: connected with spiritual realm
  • Eyes are the most important part of the face (the biggest); she has a second sight because she can give birth
  • The tattoos on the face represent the different emotions of women.
• Style of Work -stylized

• The Chokwe society has the tradition of giving honor to fertile women
• Matrilineal – family line passed down through mother
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-Created by trained priests using precise ritual formulas, embodied spirits believed to heal and give life, or sometimes inflict harm, disease, or even death.

-both ‘contain’ and ‘release’ spiritual forces which can have both positive and negative consequences on the community.

-Due to the size of this figure, it had exceptional ascribed powers and aided entire communities.

• -More naturalistic in comparison with other sculptures of African peoples; face is still simplified – magnified head for emphasis.

-Depicts a man penetrated with many nails and blades.

-Each figure has its specific role and wears a particular medicine at its stomach; this one has a large cowrie shell ( Represents Goddess protection which is very powerful and connected with the strength of the ocean).

• -From Kongo/Congo

-Each figures is Activated differently; Every time the owner inserts a blade or nail- you are prodding the spirit to do the work.

-Specific chants, rubbing the images, or applying special powders also were involved.

-Roles of power figures varied from curing minor ailments to stimulating crop growth, punishing thieves and weakening enemies.

- The most important function of the lukasa was to serve as a memory aid that describes the myths surrounding the origins of the Luba empire, including recitation of the names of the royal Luba line.

-Used by experts in the oral retelling of history in Luba culture; meant to be read by touching its surface with the right forefinger. The master who has the skill and knowledge to read the lukasa will utilize it as a mnemonic device, touching and feeling the beads, shells, and pegs to recount history and solve current problems.

• The lukasa is typically arranged with large beads surrounded by smaller beads or a line of beads, the configuration of which dictates certain kinds of information such as myths, Royal names, and narratives that recount the history of Luba Culture.

• -In the Luba Kingdom of the Democratic Republic of Congo, history was traditionally performed with dance and song—not read.

-Art of the Luba Kingdom highlights the roles that objects played in granting the holders the authority of kingship and royal power. For the Luba people, kingship is sacred, and the elite Mbudye Society (whose members are considered “men of memory," and who have extensive religious training) use the lukasa to recount history in the context of spiritual rituals. Diviners (who have the power to predict the future) can also read the lukasa.