powerpoint 6b
world culturesTHE AMERINDIANS, AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINALS, AND
THE TRIBES OF AFRICA
amerindian culturesdreamcatcherthe art object
• sinew webbing tied around a wooden circular or teardrop frame (similar to the fashioning of snowshoes)
• hung over sleeping children’s beds to ward off bad dreams or catch bad dreams in the web
• based on legends and myths concerning the spider-woman
the people/culture
Culture: Ojibwe or Ojibway (Chippewa)
Geography:one of the largest tribes formerly located along the east coast of the USA and Canada and throughout the Great Lakes area
Language: Algonquin language Ojibwemowin
Handicrafts: birch bark scrolls, canoes, and cowry shells
Beliefs: secretive religion Midewiwin
Traditions:live in sedentary bands using hunting and fishing, and the cultivation of maize and squash as means of sustenance; typical wigwam dwellings
amerindian cultureskachinas
the art object
• stylize religious icons carved from cottonwood and painted/ornamented to represent various gods, heroes and characters from traditional myths and legends
• used to instruct new generations about traditions and stories (never used as a doll!)
the people/culture
Culture: Hopi
Geography: like all Pueblo peoples lived in large areas of the American Southwest
Language:Hopi is an Uto-Aztecan language and is divided into four dialects: First Mesa, Mishongnovi, Shipaulovi and Third Mesa
Handicrafts: silver jewelry, pottery, coil/wicker basketry
Traditions:organized in matrilineal clans with a long tradition of agriculture; lived in multi-storied, apartment-styled buildings made of stone, clay and adobe mud
amerindian cultureschilkat weavingthe art object
• hand-woven blankets, robes, dance-tunics and wall-hangings; typically worn by high-ranking officials and during ceremonies and dances
• one of the most complex techniques allowing for curvilinear lines and circular patterns within the weave
the people/culture
Culture: Tlingit/Lingit
Geography: Northwest coasts of USA and Canada
Language: Tlingit is a branch of the Na-Dené language family
Art:Pacific Northwest Coast art represented in totem-poles and lithographs using mostly red and black colors and representing legendary creatures
Beliefs: animism; ritual purifications before hunts
Traditions:hunter/gather societies developed in temperate rainforests; oratory traditions about the kinship of families; emphasis on generosity and charity
amerindian culturessoapstone fetishes
the art object
• revered and sacred animals carved from walrus-ivory or soapstone in naturalistic-abstract, stylized forms
• typically very small for ease of carrying• rooted in prehistoric carvings; techniques passed down from
generation to generation
the people/culture
Culture: The Inuit
Geography: Arctic Regions
Language: Inuit is grouped under Eskimo-Aleut languages
Handicrafts: kayaks, snowshoes, parkas, dog sleds
Beliefs: environmental animism/shamanism; Northern Lights considered sacred and magical
Traditions:lineage traced back to Paleo-Indian and prehistoric peoples; hunted whales, bear, walrus, caribou and seal; lived in snow/ice dwellings such as igloos or sod-houses
australian aboriginal culturesbark paintings
the art object
• patterns and symbols used by the artist are owned by that artist alone and cannot be reproduced by others; these symbols would also be painted on their bodies during ceremony
• bark is treated with ochre; a border and dividing lines are painted; figurative, clan and geometric designs are used; crosshatching and dots are applied to finalize the dream-story or map of the dreamtime
the people/culture
Cultures: Garadjeri, Mangala, Yaoro, Djungun, Ngombal etc.
Geography: Kimberley region of northern Western Australia
Beliefs: wadjinas and other rain and creator spirits; dreamtime; the rainbow serpent; songlines
Traditions:patrilineal descent groups; oral traditions and nomadic; initiation ceremonies; fire-stick farming; smoking ceremonies; walkabout – rite of passage journey; astronomy and music practices
australian aboriginal culturesx-ray paintings
the art object
• animals and human figures are represented with their internal organs and skeletons clearly visible
• includes sacred art of ancestral beings and everyday people• a silhouette of the person, animal or spirit is painted and
then the details of the backbone, ribs and bones are added • occur mostly as rock art, in caves and in rock shelters
the people/culture
Cultures: ancestors of and the Yolngu peoples
Geography: Arnhem Land in northern Australia
Cites: can be found at Ubirr Rock, Injalak Hill, and in the Canon Hill area
Handicrafts: basket-weaving from dyed pandanus leaves; seed and fishbone necklaces; boomerangs
Traditions: sea cucumber fishing; brother-sister avoidance relationships; classification of food groups; ba
australian aboriginal culturesdidgeridoos
the art object
• drone pipes made from hardwood, especially eucalyptus, that have been naturally hollowed by termites
• decorated with traditional aboriginal symbols, patterns and imagery
• used during ceremonial dances as accompaniment to singing and played by sucking in and blowing out
the people/culture
Cultures: the Yolngu peoples
Geography: Arnhem Land in northern Australia
Handicrafts: basket-weaving from dyed pandanus leaves; seed and fishbone necklaces
Beliefs: wadjinas and other rain and creator spirits; dreamtime; the rainbow serpent; songlines
Traditions: sea cucumber fishing; brother-sister avoidance relationships; classification of food groups; ba
african cultureskente cloths
the art object
• woven cloths using geometric patterns and having symbolic meanings such as: creativity, knowledge from experience, monetary success or authority
• colors have meanings, too: black – maturity, blue – love, green – vegetation, gold – wealth, gray – healing, red – spiritual moods, and silver – serenity
the people/culture
Culture: The Akan peoples
Geography: Ghana
Language: Akan language groups: Kwa, Kru, Bia, and Biole
Handicrafts:cast bronze-gold weights, cultural jewelry: neck-wear, wristbands, hatpins and headbands; adinkra symbols – logos representing ideas and messages
Beliefs: traveler’s tales; trickster spirits & elemental spirits
Traditions: matrilineal lineage clans; traditional chieftaincies; forty-two day calendar cycles
african culturesceremonial & scared masks
the art object
• used in ceremonies, rites of passage and magical rituals and represent sacred animals, gods, spirits and tricksters, feminine beauty and deceased ancestors/ancestral spirits
• mask-making is a sacred art passed on from father to son• Made of wood and ornamented with stone, metal, ochre,
fabric, hair, horns, shells and feathers
the people/culture
Culture: Bambara ethnic groups
Geography: Mali
Language: part of the closely related Manding, within the larger Mandé group
Handicrafts: n’tomo masks, chiwaras – ritual objects (figurines and headdresses) representing antelopes
Beliefs: ancestor worship; today mostly Islam
Traditions: oral traditions and storytelling; caste systems; historian/praise-singers; initiation rites
african culturesblackwood carvings
the art object
• typically carved from african blackwoord (mpingo), originally known as ebony
• abstract and stylized figures representing the shetani - mostly malevolent spirits in myth and popular belief
• shetani appear as distorted, malformed human and animal figures sometimes with one eye, no teeth and bent over in contorted positions
the people/culture
Culture: Makonde ethnic group
Geography: southeast Tanzania and northern Mozambique
Language: a Central Bantu language closely related to Yao
Beliefs: shetani cults; ancestral worship; today mostly Muslim or Catholic
Traditions:coming of age rituals; matrilineal inheritance; dancing ceremonies; slash and burning farming; villages are independent with no central ruler of the entire people