The Makonde people live in southeast Tanzania, northern Mozambique, and Kenya. This Makonde body mask, known as a njorowe, is from Tanzania. Masks like this one are used in Makonde initiation rituals. During their initiation, boys are isolated for a period of several months during […]
This large woven bedding bag was made around the turn of the 20th century by the Shahsevan people in Northwest Iran (then Persia). The Shahsevan are traditionally nomadic pastoralists, traveling between their winter home in the steppe and summer lands at higher elevation near Mount […]
The Solomon Islands are located east of New Guinea and consists of 6 larger islands and more than 900 smaller islands. These shell plaques, known as barava, are from Choiseul Island in the western Solomon Islands. Barava plaques are a national icon in the Solomon […]
The Bamana people are the largest ethnic group in the country of Mali with a population of about 2 million people. They are part of the Mande culture, and they have lived in the savannah in the west-central part of the country for hundreds of […]
The Hopi live on more than 1.5 million acres of reservation land in northeastern Arizona. They are known for many art forms, including the carving of kachina dolls or figures. These carvings are the physical representations of Hopi spirits. There are upwards of 500 different […]
This ceramic roof ornament in the form of a church is from the small town of Quinua in central Peru. Quinua is known for its pottery, with ceramics providing the largest source of income for approximately one quarter of the population today. At the time […]