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