The Mumuye people are isolated into smaller groups. These groups are independent of one another; however, they speak a variation of the same language and share cultural traditions.[2]:89 The Mumuye people are a part of the Benue River Valley. The Benue River Valley has been overlooked because of its complexities and innumerable cultures occupying the area.[3]:20
Social Structure
Historically, the Mumuye did not have a central government. Currently, people live in small villages consisting of a number of extended families.[4]:108These groups are called dola.[5]:284 The culture differs within Mumuye subgroups because of their isolation into these dola. These social groups are governed by a council of elders and an elected leader.[6]:96
Benue River Valley
The Benue River Valley is home to many different groups, including the Mumuye. One thing that seems to be shared within these groups is a spiritual attachment to the land.[7]:87
Throughout the Benue the human figure is a common mode of expression. In fact, some Mumuye sculpture was wrongly attributed to the neighboring Chamba people, because of how prevalent the figure is.[8]:259 These figures typical of the Benue River Valley can represent chiefs, ancestors, or heroes.[7]:87 Smaller figures are used for personal protection; these are typically made of clay and thought to bring good luck and success.[7]:87Although humans are represented greatly, this human involvement does not extend into the spirit world. The spirit world is thought of by much of the Benue River Valley as calm and rarely affected by the human world.[7]:87Many of the figures made by the people of the Benue River Valley are androgynous. The Mumuye's figures are no exception.[7]:90
Culture
The Mumuye are considered the second largest indigenous group, after the Tiv, of the Middle Benue.[8]:248
The Mumuye have masquerades to strengthen community ties. One of these is the Vabon masquerade, a funeral masquerade, that encompasses all of the community.[9]
The culture differs within Mumuye subgroups because of their isolation.[2]:89
The Mumuye have different ceremonies, one of which is the Ushavuko, which occurs twice a year.[5]:284
the Mumuye people use scarification for initiation rites. The Mumuye women in particular go through scarification before they are wed, this is present in the sculpture as well.[6]:270 Other Mumuye scarification includes three horizontal rows of cuts that divide the face into thirds.[6]:270
Religion
The Mumuye's spirituality is governed by a secret society called the Vabong.[6] within the Vabong there are seven levels.[6]:96 The initiation into the society is intense often involving beating. It also involves an explanation of the masks as well as other objects used for divination.[6]:96
In Mumuye religion rainmakers protect the community. They are considered the most powerful to ensuring the community thrives.
Iagalagana that showcases the undulating lines that are typical of Mumuye figurative carvings.
Mumuye people use rainmaking rods. These are much like lightning rods that protect homes against being struck by lightning. These rods are in a z shape, like lightning. This is also thought to represent the movement of snakes.[10]:91 Some even have a head on the end of them that is like the shape of a snake's head. These rods represent fertility of the land, and the people.[10]:91
Sometimes Sukuru masks are worn for rainmaking rites. This mask depicts an old woman with pierced ears. The tradition of piercing ears is an ancient tradition of the Mumuye.[5]:284
The Iagalagana is a figurative sculpture that is used for divination, powers for bestowing good luck and warding off evil, and for its ability to make rain. These are kept in a separate hut and kept by someone thought to have magical powers. These figures are carved by blacksmiths or weavers.[6]:96 Illustrating the prestige of blacksmithing and weaving within Mumuye culture.
Artistic Tradition
The Mumuye people have a rich artistic tradition, much of which is figurative and linked to their religious practices. The figural sculptures are used for divination and for healing.[11]:61They have also been considered to greet people into the rainmaker's hut, guard homes, act as judges within trials, and as confidants.[12]:7 These sculptures are called Iagalagana.[6]:96 This is what the Mumuye are mainly known for.[6]:96
The Iagalagana typically have elongated features and large ear lobes,[6]:96 due to the tradition of inserting discs into the ears.[5]:84 The sculptures with these large earlobes have been determined to be female according to the Mumuye.[8]:269
Mask used by the Mumuye during initiation rites.
Sculpture created by the Mumuye people is very diverse, varying in size and shape. Some of the figures are short and squat while others are elongated.[2]:89 While differing in size they are stylized in a similar fashion, making them identifiable as Mumuye. The variation shows the artistic tradition that illuminates the human form in interesting and innovative ways.[13]:76
The figurative sculptures almost always have an exaggerated navel.[8]:265 Sometimes it is even protruding outward. Genitalia is typically absent or understated.[8]:267
There are two types of masks found within Mumuye culture. There is the Sukwava mask. This shows a long neck and large ears. These were traditionally worn during ceremonies before war. Currently, they are used for healing, and rainmaking.[6]:96 The other mask worn by the Mumuye is a face mask used for initiation. This mask has hallowed out eyes.[6]:96 It has animalistic features, and a skeletal quality. This creation is consistent with the tradition of human-animal fusion within masks.[8]:228
"Flight" of Mumuye Sculpture
Mumuye sculpture was acquired at the apex of the Biafran war, when the border control was at its weakest. There was an incredible number of sculptures removed.[8]:249
African art describes the modern and historical paintings, sculptures, installations, and other visual culture from native or indigenous Africans and the African continent. The definition may also include the art of the African diasporas, such as: African-American, Caribbean or art in South American societies inspired by African traditions. Despite this diversity, there are unifying artistic themes present when considering the totality of the visual culture from the continent of Africa.
The Nok culture is a population whose material remains are named after the Ham village of Nok in southern Kaduna State of Nigeria, where their terracotta sculptures were first discovered in 1928. The Nok people and the Gajiganna people may have migrated from the Central Sahara, along with pearl millet and pottery, diverged prior to arriving in the northern region of Nigeria, and thus, settled in their respective locations in the region of Gajiganna and Nok. Nok people may have also migrated from the West African Sahel to the region of Nok. Nok culture may have emerged in 1500 BCE and continued to persist until 1 BCE.
The Yaka are an African ethnic group found in southwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo, with Angola border to their west. They number about 300,000 and are related to the Suku people. They live in the forest and savanna region between the Kwango River and the Wamba River. They speak the Yaka language).
The Nupe are an ethnic group native to North Central Nigeria. They are the dominant ethnic group in Niger State and a minority in Kwara State. The Nupe are also present in Kogi State and The Federal Capital Territory.
Pre-Columbian art refers to the visual arts of indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, North, Central, and South Americas from at least 13,000 BCE to the European conquests starting in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The Pre-Columbian era continued for a time after these in many places, or had a transitional phase afterwards. Many types of perishable artifacts that were once very common, such as woven textiles, typically have not been preserved, but Precolumbian monumental sculpture, metalwork in gold, pottery, and painting on ceramics, walls, and rocks have survived more frequently.
The Igala people are an ethnic group native to the region south of the confluence of the Niger and Benue Rivers in central Nigeria. The Igala people are located in an ecologically diverse region of Nigeria, ideal for the cultivation of crops, and have been influenced culturally by many surrounding cultures.
Traditional African masks play an important role in ceremonies, rituals, and masquerades across West, Central, and Southern Africa. Ceremonies in which masks are worn include harvest celebrations, funerals, rites of passage, weddings, and coronations. In some societies, masks and masquerades are also used to settle disputes and communal conflicts.
The Beembe are a Bantu people living in southern Congo-Brazzaville, precisely in Bouenza and in the cities of Brazzaville, Dolisie, and Pointe-Noire. It is a Kongo subgroup. The Beembe have some similar customs to the Kongo, which is what makes them a subgroup, but their art is what separates them apart. It is not clear when the Beembe separated from the Kongo but oral tradition suggests that it was some time around the eight century. They migrated Northeast from the Kongo and settled some five hundred kilometers from the capital of the Kingdom of the Kongo. This group was a part of the Kongo Kingdom during its height of power. The Beembe also have subgroups within it such as the Bisi-Nseke, Minkegue, Mmsumbu (Bambumbu), the Mongo, and the Musitu.Beembe society is economically based on agriculture.
The Yoruba of West Africa are responsible for a distinct artistic tradition in Africa, a tradition that remains vital and influential today.
The Bwa is an African society that is native to Burkina Faso. This society has an approximate population of over 300,000 persons. The Bwa people live in a number of individualized communities. They have no central government, and rely on their community standards. They are most known for their scarification and elaborate plank masks.
Igbo art is any piece of visual art originating from the Igbo people. The Igbo produce a wide variety of art including traditional figures, masks, artifacts and textiles, plus works in metals such as bronze. Artworks from the Igbo have been found from as early as 9th century with the bronze artifacts found at Igbo Ukwu. With processes of colonialism and the opening of Nigeria to Western influences, the vocabulary of fine art and art history came to interact with established traditions. Therefore, the term can also refer to contemporary works of art produced in response to global demands and interactions.
The Songye people, sometimes written Songe, are a Bantu ethnic group from the central Democratic Republic of the Congo. They speak the Songe language. They inhabit a vast territory between the Sankuru/Lulibash river in the west and the Lualaba River in the east. Many Songye villages can be found in present-day East Kasai province, parts of Katanga and Kivu Province. The people of Songye are divided into thirty-four conglomerate societies; each society is led by a single chief with a Judiciary Council of elders and nobles (bilolo). Smaller kingdoms east of the Lomami River refer to themselves as Songye, other kingdoms in the west, refer to themselves as Kalebwe, Eki, Ilande, Bala, Chofwe, Sanga and Tempa. As a society, the people of Songye are mainly known as a farming community; they do, however, take part in hunting and trading with other neighboring communities.
The Chamba are a significant ethnic group in the north eastern Nigeria. The Chamba are located between present day Nigeria and Cameroon. The closest Chamba neighbours are the Mumuye, the Jukun and Kutep people. In Cameroon, the successors of Leko and chamba speakers are divided into several states: Bali Nyonga, Bali Kumbat, Bali-Gham, Bali-Gangsin, and Bali-Gashu. They are two ethnic groups in Ghana and Togo also called Chamba, but they are ethnically distinct. The Chamba are identified through their own language, beliefs, culture, and art.
The Nigerian National Museum is a national museum of Nigeria, located in the city of Lagos. The museum has a notable collection of Nigerian art, including pieces of statuary, carvings also archaeological and ethnographic exhibits. Of note is a terracotta human head known as the Jemaa Head, part of the Nok culture. The piece is named after Jema'a, the village where it was discovered. The museum is located at Onikan, Lagos Island, Lagos State. The museum is administered by the National Commission for Museums and Monuments.
The Hemba people are a Bantu ethnic group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The Kwele people, or Bakwele, are a tribal group of eastern Gabon, Republic of the Congo, and Cameroons in Central Africa. In terms of their language, they fall into the Bantu linguistic group. Their population consists of approximately 120,000 individuals. They fled the coastal area of West Africa during the 19th century after their traditional enemies acquired firearms from the slave traders. This altercation is often called the "Poupou" war. The Kwele then settled into lands between the Dja and Ivindo rivers. Their assumed five separate linguistic subgroups are identified by differences in where their community lies on a map, where they have migrated over time, political structure, performances implemented in rituals, and the community cohesion within each. When conflicts arise, their strategies to resolve these issues may be handled by intense individual competition. Important relations are impacted by the father's line of descent, due to past patrilineal and avuncular political decisions and relations.
The Eloyi are an ethnic group of central Nigeria. About 100,000 people identify themselves as Eloyi. They are related to the Idoma ethnic group.
The Benin ivory mask is a miniature sculptural portrait in ivory of Idia, the first Iyoba of the 16th century Benin Empire, taking the form of a traditional African mask. The masks were looted by the British from the palace of the Oba of Benin in the Benin Expedition of 1897.
Sidney Carolyn Littlefield Kasfir (1939–2019) was an art historian of African art.
The Ibadan National Museum of Unity is an ethnographic museum in Ibadan, Nigeria. The museum is dedicated to the culture of the different ethnic groups of Nigeria.
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