African tribal art stands for traditional art forms form African region located south of the Saharadesert. Dating back to before recorded history, African art is one of the most diverse legacies on theplanet. It covers a wide range of people, culture, civilizations and society each with a unique anddistinctive way of life. African ancient tribal art is one of the oldest existing art forms. Trace theunique history of this beautiful artwork right here.

Born from the cradle of humanity, African tribal art is the most ancient artwork and form ofsculptures and artistic expressions known to mankind. Yet, few pieces produced before the 19thcentury survived. The reason for this is that ancient tribal art was produced from wood andperishable materials. Examples include terra cotta sculptures, rock carvings and architectural ruins.

Diverse Cultures, Unique Art

The art of ancient Africa were just as diverse as the differentlanguages, sub-cultures, political systems and ways of living here.Many cultures prefer abstract, stylized forms of humans andwildlife depictions in their art. It is the African tribal art whichexcelled in naturalistic depictions and organic forms.

Nubian Kingdom of Kush in modern Sudan was in close contactwith other African subcultures and produced sculptures that weremonumental. Tribal art in West Africa can be first traced to the

Nok culture which flourished between 500 BCE and 500 CE in present day Nigeria. The distinctivefeature of these African tribal art pieces included angular shapes and elongated bodies. The Nokculture was also the earliest Sub Saharan cradle of life sized terracotta art.

Natural Depictions, Elaborate Designs

Human figures were the chief protagonists of African tribal art, which even influenced Europeantraditions. For example Portuguese traders and the Sapi culture in West Africa were partners incommerce. This resulted in ivory salt cellars that were hybrids of African and European designs.Similarly, European subjects also found their way into African art. Subjects of African tribal artranged from chiefs, to drummers, dancers and hunters.

Rather than abstract or stylized designs, naturalistic depictions were preferred. This is seen inYoruba portrait bronzes of Ife-Ife which include incision and indentation indicating ritualscarification. Small forms of wildlife such as birds and chameleons were also represented in the finebronzes of Igbo -Ukwu in the 9th century.

Mali and Zimbabwe are home to architectural ruins pointing to the rich use of adobe and stone inthe making of Saharan African tribal art. Buildings made from perishable materials, painted andincised scenes on rock formations in the Sahara provide a glimpse of ancient life when deserts wereonce grasslands. Farming, hunting and swimming are some of the activities depicted in rock art.

Dating back to 6000 years, rock art was discovered in Nigeria while the earliest surviving textilesbelonged to the first century. African tribal art chiefly comprises textiles, statues and masks incollections and museums. What makes this art form distinctive is that it permits people to touch areal piece of history. As against the classic realism of the 19th century, African tribal art wasdramatically expressive. An unusual tradition within African sculpture is the cast metal work fromthe 12th century in southern Nigeria. As knowledge advanced, African tribal art also underwent ametamorphosis. Natural yet distinctive, these pieces carry a rich historical legacy with them.