From Cote d'Voire                    Lidded Vessel from Nigeria         Lwena Congo 
                                                                                                                        © National Museum of African Art 
                                                                                                                        Smithsonian Institution

                         
     Mangbetu Portrait - (info)           Mangbetu Portrait - Congo        Mangbetu Portrait
    © National Museum of African Art 
     Smithsonian Institution                                                                                                            
     See photograph of Mangbetu woman

Nigerian Lidded Vessel              Water Pot - Ivory Coast               Water pot - Mali d'Jenne

                         
 Dogon Wood Ceremonial Vessel     Dogon Wood Vessel            Ceramic Vessel Mali (d'Jenne?)

                               
      Mali d'Jenne pottery                  Mali d'Jenne pottery                   Mali d'Jenne pottery

Nigerian - terracotta vessel    Bronze - Nigeria            Zulu Pottery                                                            © National Museum of African Art                                                            Smithsonian Institution

Zimbabwe                                             Tabwe vessel                                     Yoruba lidded vessel

         
   Coil vessel (culture unknown)  Asante lidded vessel  Sahara vase                  vase with horn mask

    
 Dogon Wood Creation Ark                                         Dogon Wood Creation Ark  

   These wooden "Creation Arks" 
    representing the horse - the first
    animal off the ark in the Dogon story 
    of creation - were used as inspiration
    for the box project done by my
    seventh graders. These boxes were
    used in male circumcision ceremonies.
    Read about Dogon Mythology 
    More on Dogon Mythology - (scroll
    down to Dogon) See this D'Jenne
    Equestrian Figure - Read about the
                                                                                                                      Equestrian figure. 

According to the Dogon, an 'ark' descended from the sky amid a great wind. This brought the Nommo to Earth. The Nommo, who supposedly came to Earth to set up a civilization, were a group of amphibious beings. The Nommo were apparently from Sirius, or at least a planet orbiting Sirius, and passed on much information to the Dogon. (Dogon/Syrus Mystery - BBC article)

Resources:

Beautiful Bodies: Form and Decoration of African Pottery Smithsonian exhibit.

African Pottery Forming - Professor Christopher Roy at the University of Iowa.

William Itter Collection of African Pottery - four Galleries of images.

National Museum of African Art - Browse the Collection

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