Artistic Traditions of West Africa

Sculpture

• Most statues of people(sculptures ancestor).
• Made for religous rituals or gifts for the Gods.

Mask

• Faces of animals(hyenas,lions,monkeys,and antelopes).
• Wore during rituals.

Clothing

• Kente-hand-woven,brightly colored fabric.
• woven in narrow strips that were sewn together.

Music

• Used for entertainment
• Helped honor their history
• Played when a ruler entered a room.

Dance

• Used during weddings and funerals.
• In many West African societies,music and dance were as important as the visual arts.

bibliograph

• Burstein, Stanley M., and Richard Shek. Holt World History. Medieval to Early Modern times. Orlando, FL: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2006.