African Art -- The World And The Spirits The West African nations like Benin, modern-day Nigeria, Ivory Coast, etc were in contact with Portuguese and other Europeans from the 1500's onward. These wealthy...
Nkonde Nail Fetish Figures from Africa Nkisi-The best known of Kongo art is the nkisi, a term which is untranslateable, but which refers to carved figures which are used for dealing with problems "ranging...
Yoruba Ibeji Twin Figures from Africa The Yoruba of Nigeria and of the Benin Republic are known for having an extraordinarily high rate of multiple births. The rate of twin births is one of the highest in the...
People: Mende Location: Southern Sierra Leone Population: 700,000 Arts: Most Mende art is connected to rituals and celebrations conducted by either the men's Poro Society, or the women's Sande Society....
Grainery Doors of the Dogon The Dogon of present day Mali live along the Bandiagara escarpment a range of cliffs approximately 120 miles long and in places up to one thousand feet high. Living in small...
People: Mbala Location: SW Democratic Rep of the Congo Population: 60,000 Arts: The beautiful and expressive works of this group are not often seen on the market, but they can usually be identified by a...
People: Ambete (Mbete)Location: Gabon and Republic of the Congo Population: Unknown Arts and History: The Ambete are thought to be descendents of the Kota, and like most other cultures in the area, use...
People: Makonde Location: NE Mozambique and SE Tanzania Population: 500,000 Arts: The Makonde are one of the most prolific art-producing cultures in East Africa, and their works are known worldwide. Though...
People: Lwalwa Location: SE Democratic Rep of Congo Population: 20,000 Arts: The Lwalwa have produced some of the most sweeping and dramatic masks in all of the Congo Basin. They are best appreciated from...
Location: SE Democratic Republic of Congo Population: 200,000 to 1,000,000 Arts: Statues, usually female, as well as a multitude of utilitarian objects, usually with elaborate figural adornment. Masks, oddly...