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Facing Africa The. Art ColU of The Toi Museum of [TOLEDO^ MUSEUM with complimentsof The Toledo Museum of Art Library Facing Africa The African Art Collection of The Toledo Museum of Art Mary Mooter Roberts Toledo, Ohio 1998 /;/ memoriamKurt T.Luckner Acknowledgments TheToledoMuseum ofArt Ithasbeenagreatpleasuretoworkon this 2445 MonroeStreet This bookwas publishedwith the excitingprojectwiththestaflofTheToledo P.O.Box 1013 assistance ot theAndrewW. Mellon MuseumofArt:SandraE. Knudsen,whohas Toledo,Ohio43697-1013 Foundation. overseenever\'detailofthisbookfrom Telephone(419) 255-8000 conception tocompletion,andwhoseencour- Fax (419) 255-5638 agementandvision havebeen inspirational; ProjectSupervisor: Sandra E. Knudsen FIRSTEDITION DavidW. Steadman, Director;NadineSmith Toledo Museum Photographs: TimThayer, andherdedicatedandinsightfiiladvisory OakPark, Michigan,and Photography, Inc., © 1998TheToledo MuseumofArt committee;Nan Plummet;ChristineMack; Toledo, Ohio All Rights Resen'ed RochelleSlosser;andmanyotherswhohave Field Photographs:Ascited in thecaptions. Exceptforlegitimateexcerptscustoman-in contributedtothisproject. I amalsogratefii!to Editor: SandraE. Knudsen revieworscholar!}'publications, no partofthis manydistinguishedcolleagueswhohave Designer: RochelleSlosser bookmaybereproduced b)'anymeans generouslysharedtheirexpertiseand/orfield withouttheexpresswritten permission ofthe photographs.Theyinclude: MonniAdams, Mapdesign by LorenzoWalkerfrom thebook publisher. David Binkley, BarbaraBlackmun, HerbertM. Afi-icaiiArt: Virgi)iiaMuseumofFineArts, by Cole,JosephCornet, EberhardFischer,Anita Richard B.Woodward.© 1994Virginia All theobjectsfeaturedin thisbookare in the Glaze, Lx)renzHomberger,AlisaLaGamma, Museum ofFineArts, Richmond. collectionofTheToledoMuseumofArt. FrederickLamp,BabatundeLawal,Joseph Black-and-whitephotographs,colortranspar- Nevadomsky,Nanc\'Ingram Nooter,John Composition: EmigreArbitrary Boldand encies,andcolorslidesareavailable. Pemberton III,Allen F. Roberts, Doran H. Ross, AdobeGaramond. Vicki Rovine,A.Turconi,andSusanM.Vogel. PrintedonAllegraGloss lextbyUniversity WhileIamgratefiilfortheassistanceofallthese Lithoprinters, Inc.,AnnArbor, Michigan. ISBN 0-935172-07-6 friends,Ialoneamresponsibleforthecontentof Frontand BackCovers: YonibaEpaHelmet PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.All thisbook. I dedicatethisbookto myhusband, Mask, attributedtoBamgboseorAreogun, rightsreservedunderInternationa!and Pan- Al;ourchildren, Sidney,SethandAvery;and 1977.22(seepage9). ourparents, NantTand Robert Nooter. AmericanCopyrightConventions. Title Page: Detail, LugwuHigh-BackedStool, MaryNooter Roberts 1994.21 (seepage45). 5 Contents S Preface 21 Chapter ?:FacesofCommunityandCosmos 49 Chapter 4: Faces of Spirit and Soul 23 Tenine Initiation Mask 51 Dan Hornbill Mask 7 Introduction: FacingAfrica 25 Kuba Royal Mask 53 SenufoHeaddress 9 YorubaEpa Helmet Mask 27 BangvvaNight SocietyMask 55 SongyeSpiritReceptacle 11 Chapter i: Facesof Birthand Generation 29 BamanaHunter'sShirt 57 KubaElephant Headdress 13 Akan R-malc Figure 31 Guro FemaleMask 59 FangMask 1 YorubaGh\tdeSocietyHelmetMask 33 Baule/YaureRainbowMask 61 Kota ReliquaryFigure 17 BeninQueen Mother Head 3S Chapter 3: Faces of Honorand Prestige 63 Postscript:Africa is Calling 19 OweShrine Figure 37 BaulcPendant 63 Mangbetu Slit Drum 39 AkanVessel 64 Notes 41 KubaPalmWineCup 67 Index 43 Yoruba Rider 45 Luguru High-Backed Stool 47 KubaWoman'sSkirt ' •'31 WESTERN SAHARA DJIBOUTI SKN'EGAl GAMBIA B^ana GUINEA GUINEA BURKINAFASO ETHIOPIA SOMALIA BISSAU Scnuto GHANA Yoruba ^SS^ Bangwa SIERRALEONE-- Din (^"" '• Edo CENTRALAFRICAN "''" REPUBLIC CAMEROON LIBERL^' TOGQ c%a^ IVORYCOAST KENYA REPUBUCOFBENIN F»"g CONGO UGANDA GABON DEMOCRATIC EQUATORL\LGUINEA •^'"^ REPUBLICOF RWANDA CONGO BURUNDI INDIAN Kuba c TANZANIA OCEAN O""©''^^ Luguru MADAGASCAR MALAWI MOZAMBIQUE SWAZILAND LESOTHO Preface TheToledoMuseumotArthasasmall thesebyAfricanartistsprovidea memorable stimulatingmanuscript and torheron-going butchoicecollectionoftheartofsub- waytoseetheircultures, representingthefaces, counselaswereinterpretand reinstallour SaharanAfrica.Collectingbegan fort)'years socialcontexts,and perceptionsofother Africanart.Wearealsothankful tothe ago, in 1958,with theacquisitionofthe Benin avenuesofhuman life. communityadvisorygroupthatworked to QNugoenetnaMnogtmhaesrkh(epa.d59(p).. W17o)raknsdotthAefrFiacnagn art Newaccessions made it possible in 1973 forthe dAferfiicnaeatnhedgtooalasssoesfstihtesdbeosoikgnthaantdbteecxta:mDeeFbtoircianhg werecollectedseriouslybyafew individuals Toledo Museum toopenagallerydevoted to Carlisle, DavidGulp, Linda Nieman, Kim and museumsin Europeand theAmericas theartofAfrica.Worksofart,allofthehighest Penn, ShirleySebree,and NadineSmith.They startingonlyin thelate nineteenthcentury. quality,continuedtobeacquiredunderthe encouraged usto tr\'tofocuson the needsof Theearliestcollections, likethatotthe Detroit guidanceofKurtT. Luckner,curatorofancient familieswith children andofeducatorswhose InstituteolArtsbegun in the 1890s, were art, until hisuntimelydeath in 1995.With the studentswant to understandothercultures,as assembledlargelybecauseofcuriosityabout exceptionofthe ivor\'Owo figure (p. 19), wellasthoseofgalleryvisitors.Weowea exoticcultures. In theearlyand middleyears whichdatesfrom thesixteenthorseventeenth specialdebtto Mrs. Carlisle'sfifth-gradeclassat oftherwentiethcentur\',avant-gardeartists centurv', mostofToledo'sobjectsweremadein Fall-Meyer Elementar)'School forseveral lively suchas Pablo Picasso, MauriceVlaminck thenineteenthortwentiethcenturies.The workshops that ruthlesslyevaluated howthe (whoowned theFangmask),Amedeo sometimes harsheffectsofatropicalclimate Museumdisplays, interprets,and teaches Modigliani,andConstantin Brancusiwere havecaused thelossofmanyearlierworksof Africanartandculture.Wehopethereadersof intenselyinfluencedbytheexpressivepower African art inwood. thisbo—okwill enjoythe processof"facing" ofsub-Saharanandothernon-Western art. FormanyyearsToledovisitorshaverequested Africa "turningtoward," "confronting,"and Today,wearealsodeeplyinterested in an up-to-date, popularbookaboutourAfrican "connectingwith" theartandpeopleof understandingthecultural traditionsand artcollection.Thefall 1998exhibition "Soul of Africa—as muchaswehave. aestheticheritagesofAfricaandofthepeople Africa:AfricanArtfrom theHan Coray ofAfricandescent in the"meltingpot" of Collection" provided the impetusto publish. North,Central,andSouthAmerica.Workslike Wearegrateful to MaryNooterRobertsfora DavidW. Steadman, Director Facing Africa It is your head that you have to worship.... Your head is more important than anything. Your head is what you should pray to. Anytimeyouwant topray ... takea kola nut and put it on the forehead, not thechest .... Ones head is more important than any part ofthe body.... It is thecontrollerof the body ... it is destiny. (Ydrubasaying)' Thisbookpresentsthe manyfaces ritesthespiritcomesto"mount" theheadofa ofAfricathroughacelebrationof diviner,offeringhimorherenlightenedvision TheToledoMuseumofArt'sAfricanart anddivineinsight." AmongYorubapeoplesof collection.Themasksand figures, pendants Nigeria,all peoplearethought to havebothan anddolls,shrinefiguresandaltarpieces,ofthe "innerhead"andan "outerhead.' The inner Toledo Museum'scollectiondepictfaces, heads, head istheseatofintentions, perceptions,and and both humanandanimal featuresthatforge intuitiveknowledge,and thelocusofaperson's bridgesbervveenourselvesandtheworld.The essential nature{iwa),whiletheouterheadis facesin thisbookarethoseotmothers, thevehiclefortheour^vardlyexpressivenature. children, heroes,queens, noblemen,spirits,and AYoruba proverbstates,"Maymyinnerhead animals.Throughananalysisoftheirexquisite notspoil myouterone."' formsand multifacetedfiinctions, thisbook teachesaboutAfricanartandculturewhilealso Shrines,whereworksofartarekept,arethe teachingaboutourselves.Thefacesotthese facesofdivinit)'orthe"facesofworship."They worksaredepictionsofuniversal human are"placesofmeeting,offacingthegodsand WhenaLubadivinrrofihtDemocraticRepublicofCongo cAmosenncwtee,rngfsao,cveesrtunhcaehnwcaoesr,bkipsrrtehisn,tietghdeiu,scpacotolwileoenrc,,tieaonnnt,derwdteeaaitfnha-c.e blSiromiciadltgaiernslgyb,oenmteawsseelkefsnraoerulerasttiehvlerveetssohaotlnhdeddcoeotvshiemcroesss,."tb'heattwfeoernm astncakapklaaeeknssgapoaolrtsoiesneci,somsnpaitoeasnrcivoanilfoytauhasesnpistipoeriiaprttr,ieetrdsdihitnentohtAriefsorrnesihvceaeaanAbw.eahsaoNdsfkeieaedrktchoaeeuaagdishs/.itlrehoeoevspseanrrcadLamsil.pelpefidonrg Africaacross theAtlantic; and in that mirrorwe pastand fijture, bervveen natureandculture, Oncepossessed,thedivinerusesherenhancedpourrsof findeloquent reflectionsofashared humanity. aTnhdefdiinvaellrys,ebfearcvevseaenndthfiisguwroerslidnatnhidstchoelloetchteiro.n- pmeirscfeoprttiuonneaannddctLotpirrevsocyrainbceeatoredmeetdeyr.miPnheottoh:eMcaaursyeoNfoaotcelrients Roberts. I9S9. FacesandheadsarecentraltoAfricanartistic sculpted fromwoodand ivory-,castin brassand expression.SomeethnicgroupsinAfricahave gold, ladenwithcopperandbeads-attesttothe complexphilosophiespertainingtothe masterfulwaysthatAfrican artistsexpressthe FacingPage:Orangun-ILi.a Yorubaking,wearinghisgreat immenseimportanceoftheheadand thelife deepestdialecticsofhuman experience. btheeadkeindgcarnowdnliwnhkischhismymwbiotlhizheisstrhoeyaslpiarncietsutaolrs',inwnherohleuatidr'of forcethatitcontains. Lubapeoples incentral Together, the innerandouteraspectsofthese Joinedthepantheonofgods. Theinsideofthecrownhasbeen Africadefinetheheadastheseatofwisdom, worksimpart lite-enhancingvaluestothose consecratedwithsecretmedicinalherbstoaugmenttlieking's power,and intellect;and inspiritpossession whobeholdthem. Me.orlifeforce. TheoccasionistlvOdunOn.ihtfrstitvlfiir thekingPlioto.JohnPembenonIII. 1984. YorubaPeoples, Nigeria AttributedtoBamgbose(OsiIlorin, Opin,Ekitiregion,d. 1920)or Areogun (OsiIlorin,Opin, Ekiti region,ca. 1880-1954) Mid 19*toearlylO'i-centuiy Wood,pigment;H.497,in. (125.7cm),Weight24Ik.(10.9kg) Purchasedwith fiindsfromthe LiblxjyEndowment,Giftof Edward Drummond Libbey, 1977.22