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The essays assembled in this lavishly illustrated volume are unique in considering issues of cultural convergence and divergence within a single region in Africa. They examine and celebrate the "water-related" ethos and the "warrior" ethos that are present throughout the Delta and explore the influence of its unique environment on beliefs and material culture.
A lavishly illustrated selection of highlights from the Art Institute of Chicago’s extraordinary collection of the arts of Africa Featuring a selection of more than 75 works of traditional African art in the Art Institute of Chicago’s collection, this stunning volume includes objects in a wide variety of media from regions across the continent. Essays and catalogue entries by leading art historians and anthropologists attend closely to the meanings and materials of the works themselves in addition to fleshing out original contexts. These experts also underscore the ways in which provenance and collection history are important to understanding how we view such objects today. Celebrating the Art Institute’s collection of traditional African art as one of the oldest and most diverse in the United States, this is a fresh and engaging look at current research into the arts of Africa as well as the potential of future scholarship.
"Wild Spirits, Strong Medicine: African Art and the Wilderness explores African concepts of the nature/culture, wilderness/village dichotomy as it is expressed through works of art. The opposition between nature and culture, one of the fundamental organizing principles of African cosmologies, is an old topic in anthropological discourse. It has, however, never been closely examined in African art. African ideas about the qualities of the wilderness and the village give us insights into African concepts of civilization. These ideas are explored through a sifting of past research and current studies on the subject, and the inclusion of related works of art"--Jacket.
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The Myers cabin still sits on the original cornerstones where it has stood for over 130 years. The cabin's logs were cut from red beech that were numerous then. It was built around 1870 by Louis Myers with the help of Alvis and Samuel Banks who hewed the logs. After Carl Myers parents died in the mid 1940's the cabin was used for storage and also used to shed a school bus under the back porch roof. Later the front and back porches were removed and the protective weather boarding was removed leaving it to the mercy of the elements. In 1995 & 1996 the cabin underwent major restoration. Several logs had to be replaced as well as the chinking. The porches were put back on. Oak shingles were split too cover the roofs. The author and his two friends Mark Wolfal and Dick Sharke volunteered their time for this two year project. Also Norman Click helped when he could.
Environmental degradation is a fast-growing problem that not only threatens to erode future development and undermine economic prosperity, but also victimizes and displaces ordinary peoples and communities in some of the most fragile areas of the world. Often grassroots opposition and mobilization is seen through a secular lens, implying that collective action is merely material and provincial. In this book John Agbonifo argues for a decolonization of the environment and to see the environment from the perspective of local communities. He examines the case of the Ogoni struggle against the Shell oil company, and asks how may we understand the struggle of the Ogoni against the state and Shell...
This work is a reconstruction of the Pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial history of the Yakurr of South Eastern Nigeria. It is primarily, based on Yakurr Oral Sources. The Study provides a historical foundation hence its title. It is hoped that future historians shall build upon that foundation. However, the work examines the collapse of the Wukari Empire (Jukun/Kororofa) and the development of the Atlantic Slave trade as the principal causal factors of the migrations of the various peoples who now occupy the middle and upper Cross River Regions. Such people include the Yalla, Ukelle (upper Cross River), Boki, Agbo, Bahumono, Mbembe and Yakurr (middle Cross River) region.
Written by an international team of experts, this is the first work of its kind to offer comprehensive coverage of folklore throughout the African continent. Over 300 entries provide in-depth examinations of individual African countries, ethnic groups, religious practices, artistic genres, and numerous other concepts related to folklore. Featuring original field photographs, a comprehensive index, and thorough cross-references, African Folklore: An Encyclopedia is an indispensable resource for any library's folklore or African studies collection. Also includes seven maps.
This final volume in the four-volume series Habits of Being shows how the dialectic between everyday appearance and outrageous acts is mediated through clothing and accessories. It considers how clothing and accessories can move quickly from the ordinary to the extravagant. Employing many different approaches, these essays explore how wearing an object—a crown, a flower, an earring, a corsage, a veil, even a length of material—can stray beyond the bounds of the body on which it is placed into the discrepant territory of flagrantly excessive public signs of love, status, honor, prestige, power, desire, and display. The varied contributions of scholars (historians, ethnographers, literary ...