Tribal masks are often
used in rituals and fashioned after mythological
non-human beings, often animals.
African
Nativities
Our traders build close relationships with
villagers and artists. This ensures that our items
are authentic, handmade and not manufactured nor
aged artificially. That is why we can make a money-back
guarantee on all our items.
Historically, cultures
worldwide express their beliefs and traditions through
their art and the functional wares of their society.
Magellan traders have always had interest in the
meaning and lore behind the treasures they find,
and many an anthropologist has learned about a tribe's
beliefs and customs through the description of artifacts
that traders have brought back.
Historically, cultures
worldwide express their beliefs and traditions through
their art and the functional wares of their society.
Magellan traders have always had interest in the
meaning and lore behind the treasures they find,
and many an anthropologist has learned about a tribe's
beliefs and customs through the description of artifacts
that traders have brought back.
BASKET HOOKS are suspended
from beams inside and under village homes along
the Sepik River. Baskets and string bags (bilums)
are hung from the hooks to keep food and valuables
safe from dogs, children, and rodents. Often the
face of a clan spirit is carved on the top to help
protect the house and goods. In town, basket hooks
are used to decorate kitchens with hanging baskets
of fruit, onions and garlic, or as a bathroom accent
to hang towels.
At Magellan Traders, we
offer Story Boards from New Guinea. Hand carved
STORY BOARDS pass on oral tradition. They depict
village scenes, characters and stories of the people
and their spirit guides participating in daily activities
from preparing sago flour, hunting and fishing,
to arguments and funerals, all accompanied by the
usual array of pigs, dogs, crocodiles, birds, and
chickens.
BASKET YAM masks and WOODEN
YAM masks are found in the Abelam villages above
the Sepik River in Papua New Guinea. Men weave or
carve these masks, then paint them with clay pigments
or natural dyes, for decorating the largest yams
at harvest ceremonies.
A common theme in art
from New Guinea is that it serves as a representation
of important ancestors whose assistance is needed
on the spirit plane for life tasks and protection,
such as the Female Figure we offer from the Mindimbit
Village, Middle Sepik River, made of wood, shell,
fiber, and using natural pigments.
Gopi Boards represent
ancestral spirits of Papuan Gulf villages in Papua
New Guinea. Used in initiation ceremonies, initiated
men display their boldly designed gopes along the
inside walls and fronts of the men's Haus Tambaran's
(large ceremonial spirit houses) to warn opposing
spirits away. Before a raid, the gopi are consulted
and their spirits go ahead of the war party to weaken
the enemy. This interesting piece is beautiful and
symbolic for a foyer or entrance to any home.
Naturally woven from grass
and dyed in shades of red, teal, and black, these
flat and bowl-shaped baskets were traditionally
used to cover calabash bowls and are ideal underneath
serving bowls. These baskets are often hung as decorations
as well.
The figures in the manger
scenes are usually clothed in the manner of dress
specific to the area, representing a great marriage
of cultures. From Laos, this nativity is hand-carved
from wood and bamboo, showing a high degree of craftsmanship.
The beautiful 13-inch high creche is fashioned after
the typical Lao countryside dwelling, a two-story
house with the animals below and family above.
Nativities are handcrafted
in many diverse cultures, from South America to
Africa to the Orient. This Peruvian pottery nativity
is crafted in Chulucana, molded from red clay and
uses natural pigments. A river stone is used to
smooth the figures. Wrapped smoldering mango leaves
give the figures the unique black and brown shades.
Baskets are traditionally
used for winnowing or storage, in the form of lidded
or coiled types. Some are made solely for decorative
purposes and marketed in the regions as such. Man
has made and used baskets since the beginning of
time. Over the millennia baskets have gone from
solely functional to artistic to marketable. Bamboo
splints, reeds, wicker, sisal, grass, vines, and
fiber are some of the materials used to produce
baskets--basically, whatever source was available
to the producer that could be coiled and wrapped.
The advent of tribal masks
is difficult to date. Rock art in southern Africa
shows dancing figures wearing animal masks, and
travelers in the 1300's reported seeing masks worn
in Africa. Not until the 1800's were the great carvers
of the Sepik River in New Guinea discovered.
As Christianity spread
and indigenous people looked to hone their skills
and generate more income, they turned to suggestions
of advisers and expatriates - ergo, the production
of nativities to celebrate one of the most important
holidays in the Christian calendar.
