Material & Technique
What is the lost-wax casting process?
This casting method was used to create the brass plaques of the Benin Kingdom.
What is facilitate social, spiritual, or communal interaction?
Most traditional African artworks are created primarily to do this.
What is the Kingdom of Benin (Edo peoples, Nigeria)?
The brass plaques and ivory works come from this West African kingdom.
What is strength or power?
The horns on an Ikenga represent this quality.
What are spiritual and intellectual concepts?
African art most frequently addresses these rather than physical appearance.
What is exfoliated granite?
The walls of Great Zimbabwe were built using this locally sourced material.
What are female ancestors or ideal womanhood?
The Pwo mask of the Chokwe is worn by male dancers to portray this.
What is the Kuba Kingdom?
The ndop royal portrait figure belongs to this Central African kingdom.
Who is Olokun?
Coral regalia on the Oba symbolizes his connection to this sea deity.
What is cultural interaction?
Travel, trade, and war influenced African art through this process.
What is mud-brick?
This common African building material is prone to erosion in rainy seasons.
What are Byeri reliquary figures?
These Fang figures guard ancestral relics stored in bark containers.
What is the Shona culture of Zimbabwe?
Great Zimbabwe was the architectural center of this southern African civilization.
What is political rank or authority?
Hierarchical scale in Benin plaques communicates this idea.
What are changing interpretations and theories?
Outsider study of African art has led to this over time.
What are nails or metal blades?
The Kongo power figure (nkisi n’kondi) is recognizable for having these objects hammered into its body.
What is the divine authority and unity of the Ashanti people?
The Golden Stool of the Ashanti serves as this symbol.
What are the Kongo peoples?
The nkisi n’kondi power figures originate from this culture.
What is a grain storage granary?
The conical tower at Great Zimbabwe resembles this everyday structure.
What is functional and participatory rather than purely aesthetic?
Traditional African art is best understood as this type of object.
What is an lkenga?
This personal shrine figure of the Igbo is carved in wood and symbolizes strength and success.
What is narrow single-file movement?
The passageways at Great Zimbabwe force visitors into this movement pattern to control access and power.
Who are the Chokwe peoples?
The female Pwo masks come from this group in Central Africa.
What is royal power and economic authority?
Food control at Great Zimbabwe symbolized this.
What is a long-established tradition of working with permanent materials?
The sophisticated masonry at Great Zimbabwe suggests this historical reality.