An Exceptional Suite Of African Arts And Crafts.

African arts and crafts are often found in the form of statues, figures and figurines, as well as decorative cloths, and musical instruments, particularly drums. Most African art is sculpture, with statues in human form as the most popular, as these statues serve to give praise or tribute to a great leader, or an honorable man or woman. Since Africans don't typically find it proper to show affection towards each other, a figure in someone's likeness is an important gesture.

Most of the time the statues of animals will be included with human sculptures to honor great people and to respect them. Because animals like horse are well known as noble animals, when a persons figure is carved with this kind of animals, that person is considered as a noble person, who should be respected. The carvings are mostly made out of wood and stones.

You can find many evidences which prove that African arts were found as early as 500BC, with carved rocks in Sahara and sculptures in Nigeria. People even used metals like bronze to carve statues, and they even used Ivory and terracotta to make their art look even richer. And these rich arts were reserved for royalties. People used these arts and craft works to decorate their houses. People wore hand made fabrics with full of artistic works, which reveals the wearer as a part of that art piece. They even used wall paintings to fill their houses with traditional art.

A large part of African arts and crafts is traditional arts, which were deeply woven into the daily life and culture of the different African peoples, and now found on display in most museums. An example of these is the African mask. Africans use masks in ceremonial and ritual practices, usually in celebration, but also to prepare for war, to initiate a young warrior, and before a harvest.

They design the masks according to their county or tribe, each design has its own kind of pattern and style. For example the Dan people of Ivory Coast and Liberia carve their masks with features such as wide fore head, flattened nose, full lips, and the strands of rope attached at the top of masks to make it look like hairs. The people of Congo in Punu make their masks with wood and paint it in white color, which resembles rich women. And they use these masks to scare off evil spirits and witches.

Other African arts and crafts used in old African traditions are African baskets. The baskets of the Etsha and Gumare tribes in Botswana are particularly famous for their beauty. While baskets are usually carried over the head, the influence of foreign cultures has modified the way baskets are carried, allowing totes to be slung around one's shoulders. The result is many gorgeous designs of African ladies' handbags which are still quite unique and appealing, using indigenous materials such as mud cloth and suede, decorated with fringes and cowries shells. Contemporary, yet still reflective of a vast heritage of African arts and culture.

Herman Wheeler has a great love on African Arts and Crafts for a number of years. Along with the enjoyment from sharing his love for African Arts and Crafts, he has also learned a lot about African arts and culture. Fill your home with the miracle and wonder of original hand-made African Arts and Crafts at THE AFRICAN ART WHEEL AND CRAFTS

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