The Museum of African Culture is the only museum in New England devoted exclusively to Sub-Saharan African art and culture. There are over 1,500 pieces in the collection of the Museum ranging from large scale, elaborately carved wooden masks to smaller scale figures, cast copper alloy (bronze) figures, textiles, utilitarian objects, ceramic, bone, ivory and composite objects. The oldest mask in the collection dates back to 1600 A.D. Many of the bronzes are 1,000 years old and the ivory flutes and clay vessels are up to 2,000 years old. These pieces are important as they preserve the religious and cultural legacy of Africa that is fast disappearing in our globalizing world.
In the Contemporary and Heritage Galleries
Dogon Country
by Marta Morse
Some years ago I was able to travel within Mali, West Africa, with a small group and driver in a trusty Toyota Land Rover. We had tents, sleeping bags and basic provisions with us and were thus able to spend a few days at the foot of the Bandiagara cliffs.
The Dogon, in their effort to avoid the influence of Islam, “many moons ago” retreated into the caves of the Tellem peoples (“little red men from the mountains”) evicting the Tellem from the Bandiagara Cliffs.
Today in what we see of the villages, the architectural style of the Dogon has, for the most part, remained constant. Architecture is more than an expression of beauty, for it reflects an ideology and a philosophy of life. Religious symbolism is evident in all buildings and in everyday objects. For example, the four-corner positioning of the Toguna (assembly hall) represents the four cardinal points (north, south, east and west), and in the base of the baskets used in daily life, these four corners are also evident.
Utilitarian Pots of Sub-Saharan Africa and Photo Exhibit
by former UN diplomat Eugene Boelens
Photo Exhibit
“A look into the lives and the communities around the River Niger”
Mr. Eugene Boelens, former Director of the United Nations Development Programme in several countries in West and East Africa, frequently returns on extensive journeys to West Africa.
Utilitarian Vessels and Pots
Since the beginning of time, African women and craftsmen have produced both simple and figurative pottery with the techniques of sun baking, quick firing and cooling with water and air. These clay vessels are used in all aspects of life, for example, to store cool water, make food, serve food, and brew local beer. They are also used as ritual ceremonial objects, such as medicine pots and fertility mounds. All these earthen pots are decorated with intense patterns and symbols that represent ancient metaphors, dreams and other sacred information.
Clay vessels are one of the most important tools used in daily life. There is no household anywhere in Africa that does not own vessels made of clay; yet they appear almost invisible and unimportant in most archeological research and in most museum collections.
The vessels in this exhibition are a combination of archeological and historical objects that were exclusively utilitarian. They represent the philosophical reflections of ancient wisdom used in traditional ceremonies that emphasized the importance of the human spirit as well as the value of deep humility and simplicity. The forms were created from the knowledge that truth, and the beauty of imperfection in nature transcends all questioning. The history in these vessels represents over 3000 years of Sub-Saharan African culture.
