2.20

Yoruba ---->>>>>

• not a long history
• extentsive use of wood
• sculptures that go back at least 2000 years
• believe that the world is made up of the Aye (visible world) vs. orun (invisible world)
• Ase or character is the most important thing
• role of the artist is to capture ase (the essence of the individual and/or the natural world)
• have a wide range of Orishas (spiritual beings) ->not gods, or fully divine
  
• divided into hot gods (aggressive Gods) ex) Shango = mythically the 3rd Yoruba King, related to the fire, lightening
• cool gods ex) Eshu (ie the Trickster) or Babalawo (diviner)
• The Trickster (Eshu) = an individual that consciously breaks the rules in order to affirm what those rules should be, in order to learn what the consequences are for wrong doings
• sometimes displayed as a rabbit, coyote, jester, the fool
• The Babalawo = sees into the invisable world, a liminal being, grounded in the visible but has the ability to communicate with the invisible world
• uses a *divination bowl
  
• Yoruba people are spiritually led be an Oba = symbolic head of state (*oba crown*)
  
• comes from an old and distinguished line
• trace himself back to the son of the creator himself
• the crown itself bears the image of the original creator
• crown has power because it is the visible representation of something invisible
• only the Oba himself, members of his family or the creator himself are allowed to wear beadwork
• Looking at sculpture confront the idea of the masquerade tradition
• masks are not simply a represenation
• dancer is not necessarily an actor
• the man behind the mask is in the process of becoming , transformed into the mask that he is
• *Gelede mask (our mothers) = the power of older women in society, called 'witches' in our society which has negative connatation
• the superstructure represents her character
• another gelede mask
  
• Ifa (divination) - how one establishes a spiritual link
• Shango - represents forces of nature
• always has a bowlike shape on head
  
• Ibeji (twins) figures are carved to represent the death of a twin
• belief that if the carving is made that the other twin won't be taken
  
• now a photo is carried around
  
• Egungun (primal male ancestor)
• The market place is considered the most liminal space in the Yoruba culture
• because people from both the known and the unknown meet
• normally on the edge of a village *location also makes it liminal
• wilderness is usually on the edge of the village is also the unknown (dangerous)