• Mbuti, D.R. Congo

• Early 20th C.

• Pounded tree fiber, natural pigments

• Dimensions folded: 20.5 x 13 in. / 52 × 33 cm

• Dimensions unfolded: 25.5 × 13 in. / 65 x 33 cm

• Ex. Andres Moraga

The Mbuti live in the Ituri rainforest of the northeastern D.R. Congo, and are among the last hunter-gatherer nomadic cultures in the world. To make their ceremonial loincloth called pongo, men collected the inner layer of tree bark from tropical trees and pounded it until it was thin and pliable. Women then made pigments and painted the cloth, creating drawings that often evoked the forest landscape.

The loincloths were worn during rites of passage including weddings, funerals, initiations into adulthood, and ritual dances (Bark loincloth (pongo), Museum of Fine Arts Boston; Gillow, African Textiles, 2003).

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• Yoruba, Nigeria, Africa

• First Half 20th century

• Iron, wood, glass beads, leather, bronze coils, bronze bells, British West Africa 1/10 penny coins Circa 1940s

• 14 x 19.75 in. / 36 x 50 cm

This ceremonial sword and sheath (udamalore) recalls the arts of Owo, an important and ancient Yoruba town. The udamalore was worn by Owo chiefs on the left hip, hung over a belt. A voluminous wrapped skirt, tall miter-shaped hat, brass and ivory pendants and armlets, and a fan-shaped iron sword (of Benin origin) held in the right hand completed the ceremonial attire. The udamalore is lavishly decorated with brilliantly colored glass beads that are embroidered into symbolic and abstract designs. Imported from Europe, the beads were a sign of wealth and status among the Yoruba. The motifs – human and zoomorphic figures – refer to the protective role of the ancestors, the chief's inalienable powers and privileges, and the mystical forces that protect and strengthen the wearer of such lavish costume ornaments ("Ceremonial Sword and Sheath (Udamalore)," Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2021). This piece has numerous talismans attached to the back side, including woven leather amulets, brass coils, strands of glass beads, and 14 British West Africa 1/10 penny coins dating from 1930 to 1945.

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• Dance wand for the Shango cult with 2 heads, Osé-Sàngó (Oshe Shango)

• Wood

• Early 20th century

• 11.75 x 2.5 in. / 30 x 6 cm

• Height on custom display stand: 13.75 in. / 35 cm

The Yoruba deity Shango commanded great powers of nature such as lightning and thunder, and in dreadful storms, he would hurl them down upon those who did not respect him. In sculpture, devotees to Shange were depicted with a double-axe form sprouting from their head, as seen here. Dance wands known as Oshe Shango were carried, cradled, waved, and thrusted during dances in Shango’s honor (Visonà, Poynor, and Cole, A History of Art in Africa, 2008

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