#nyamwezi

[kemetic-dreams]

Mulungu (also spelled Murungu, Nkulunkulu, and in other variants) is a common name of the creator deity in a number of Bantu languages and cultures over East, Central and Southern Africa.This includes Yao, Nyamwezi, Shambaa, Kamba, Sukuma, Rufiji, Turu and Kikuyu

All traditional Bantu cultures have a notion of a "creator god", a concept which was already established in the Niger-Congo cultures.This creator god is usually seen as a remote deity, far and detached from men and living beings; in some cases, it is more of an impersonal "creating force" or a primum movens than a "God" in the usual sense of the word. Even when described as a personal god, the Creator is believed to be far and detached from men and living beings; this detachment is the subject of a number of Bantu myths describing how the creator left the Earth, moving to the sky, as a consequence of him being upset with men or annoyed by their activities. It is thus a common trait of Bantu religions that no prayers, and usually no worship, is actually directed to the creator; men interact with lower-levels gods and spirits that are closer and more interested in human affairs. These general lines are common to traditional concepts of Mulungu as found in Kikuyu, Ruvu, and other cultures. A Nyamwezi myth about the departure of Mulungu from the Earth involves Mulungu being upset of the fires set by men to the landscape, and asking the spider to weave a web for him to climb up to the sky.

[aic-african]

Pair of Figures, Nyamwezi, 1925, Art Institute of Chicago: Arts of Africa

Gourd figures like this pair are found throughout eastern and southern Africa. References to gourd “dolls” are found in travelers’ accounts from the early 19th century, and it is probable that the tradition existed long before. These figures from southern Tanzania were most likely employed as protective objects during girls’ initiation ceremonies, as spirit figures in ritual healing, or both. The colors of the beads—black (or dark blue), white, and red—are widely associated with classes of spirits among the peoples of Tanzania. The beads on the top of the figures’ heads are embedded in resin, which is often used on objects made for ritual specialists. Some of the beads are strung on hair—possibly human—which can be employed variously to enhance the realism of the figures or to increase their ritual power by way of a supernaturally charged substance. The fabric used to make the arms contains machine-made serging, which suggests that the fabric was added in the 1960s or later and perhaps dating the creation of the entire figures to that period. This is certainly a possibility as such figures continue to be made and used in the region today.—Permanent Collection Object Description Gift of Rita J. Gaples Size: Each h. 25.4 cm (10 in.) Medium: Gourd, wire, cloth, glass beads, and hair

https://www.artic.edu/artworks/184633/

[aic-african]

Female Figure, Nyamwezi, 1900, Art Institute of Chicago: Arts of Africa

The commanding size of this elongated figure differentiates it from other Nyamwezi figures in museum collections. It was made in seven pieces that can be assembled easily into an asymmetrical and off-balanced pose. Some hallmarks of Nyamwezi art are expressed in this sculpture, including unsettling references to crippling infirmity in the form of a goiter (an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid near the throat), awkwardly bent legs, knobby joints, and blocky feet. Gift of Helen and Sam Zell Size: 166.4 × 79.4 × 14 cm (65 1/2 × 31 1/4 × 5 1/2 in.) Medium: Wood and metal

https://www.artic.edu/artworks/203350/

[aic-african]

Pair of Figures, Nyamwezi, 1925, Art Institute of Chicago: Arts of Africa

Gourd figures like this pair are found throughout eastern and southern Africa. References to gourd “dolls” are found in travelers’ accounts from the early 19th century, and it is probable that the tradition existed long before. These figures from southern Tanzania were most likely employed as protective objects during girls’ initiation ceremonies, as spirit figures in ritual healing, or both. The colors of the beads—black (or dark blue), white, and red—are widely associated with classes of spirits among the peoples of Tanzania. The beads on the top of the figures’ heads are embedded in resin, which is often used on objects made for ritual specialists. Some of the beads are strung on hair—possibly human—which can be employed variously to enhance the realism of the figures or to increase their ritual power by way of a supernaturally charged substance. The fabric used to make the arms contains machine-made serging, which suggests that the fabric was added in the 1960s or later and perhaps dating the creation of the entire figures to that period. This is certainly a possibility as such figures continue to be made and used in the region today.—Permanent Collection Object Description Gift of Rita J. Gaples Size: Each h. 25.4 cm (10 in.) Medium: Gourd, wire, cloth, glass beads, and hair

https://www.artic.edu/artworks/184633/

[aic-african]

Pair of Figures, Nyamwezi, 1925, Art Institute of Chicago: Arts of Africa

Gourd figures like this pair are found throughout eastern and southern Africa. References to gourd “dolls” are found in travelers’ accounts from the early 19th century, and it is probable that the tradition existed long before. These figures from southern Tanzania were most likely employed as protective objects during girls’ initiation ceremonies, as spirit figures in ritual healing, or both. The colors of the beads—black (or dark blue), white, and red—are widely associated with classes of spirits among the peoples of Tanzania. The beads on the top of the figures’ heads are embedded in resin, which is often used on objects made for ritual specialists. Some of the beads are strung on hair—possibly human—which can be employed variously to enhance the realism of the figures or to increase their ritual power by way of a supernaturally charged substance. The fabric used to make the arms contains machine-made serging, which suggests that the fabric was added in the 1960s or later and perhaps dating the creation of the entire figures to that period. This is certainly a possibility as such figures continue to be made and used in the region today.—Permanent Collection Object Description Gift of Rita J. Gaples Size: Each h. 25.4 cm (10 in.) Medium: Gourd, wire, cloth, glass beads, and hair

https://www.artic.edu/artworks/184633/

[aic-african]

Female Figure, Nyamwezi, 1900, Art Institute of Chicago: Arts of Africa

The commanding size of this elongated figure differentiates it from other Nyamwezi figures in museum collections. It was made in seven pieces that can be assembled easily into an asymmetrical and off-balanced pose. Some hallmarks of Nyamwezi art are expressed in this sculpture, including unsettling references to crippling infirmity in the form of a goiter (an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid near the throat), awkwardly bent legs, knobby joints, and blocky feet. Gift of Helen and Sam Zell Size: 166.4 × 79.4 × 14 cm (65 1/2 × 31 1/4 × 5 1/2 in.) Medium: Wood and metal

https://www.artic.edu/artworks/203350/

[aic-african]

Pair of Figures, Nyamwezi, 1925, Art Institute of Chicago: Arts of Africa

Gourd figures like this pair are found throughout eastern and southern Africa. References to gourd “dolls” are found in travelers’ accounts from the early 19th century, and it is probable that the tradition existed long before. These figures from southern Tanzania were most likely employed as protective objects during girls’ initiation ceremonies, as spirit figures in ritual healing, or both. The colors of the beads—black (or dark blue), white, and red—are widely associated with classes of spirits among the peoples of Tanzania. The beads on the top of the figures’ heads are embedded in resin, which is often used on objects made for ritual specialists. Some of the beads are strung on hair—possibly human—which can be employed variously to enhance the realism of the figures or to increase their ritual power by way of a supernaturally charged substance. The fabric used to make the arms contains machine-made serging, which suggests that the fabric was added in the 1960s or later and perhaps dating the creation of the entire figures to that period. This is certainly a possibility as such figures continue to be made and used in the region today.—Permanent Collection Object Description Gift of Rita J. Gaples Size: Each h. 25.4 cm (10 in.) Medium: Gourd, wire, cloth, glass beads, and hair

https://www.artic.edu/artworks/184633/

[aic-african]

Female Figure, Nyamwezi, 1900, Art Institute of Chicago: Arts of Africa

The commanding size of this elongated figure differentiates it from other Nyamwezi figures in museum collections. It was made in seven pieces that can be assembled easily into an asymmetrical and off-balanced pose. Some hallmarks of Nyamwezi art are expressed in this sculpture, including unsettling references to crippling infirmity in the form of a goiter (an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid near the throat), awkwardly bent legs, knobby joints, and blocky feet. Gift of Helen and Sam Zell Size: 166.4 × 79.4 × 14 cm (65 1/2 × 31 1/4 × 5 1/2 in.) Medium: Wood and metal

https://www.artic.edu/artworks/203350/