Hasta La Ideas

I saw one of these at the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University. [Ed. Note: The University played a major role in the sparsity of posts in the last two years.] I think they are lovely. They’re made from “organic materials,” which includes dirt, blood, beer, millet, and anything else, really.

These figures are assembled from diverse organic materials over a wooden core. They are thought to symbolize the universe and to harness spiritual power. Called Boli, they are placed on altars.

via Hamill again

Egungun Headdress

The word Egungun refers to masking associated with honored male lineage ancestors. While each mask has a personal name, it does not usually refer to a specific ancestor. Rather, Egungun masks embody the “collective force of the ancestors. All of the Egungun in a community appear annually during a joyful festival that celebrates the distinguished dead. During the festival, the ancestors bless the living, promote physical and spiritual health, settle disputes, enforce tradition and morality, and cleanse the community of witchcraft.

from African Shapes of the Sacred: Yoruba Religious Art by Carol Ann Lorenz, Senior Curator, Longyear Museum of Anthropology, Colgate University.

via Hamill Gallery, Boston