This wooden door from the Ivory Coast was made by the Baule people in the mid-20th century. Known as anuan, such doors are carved with a variety of motifs as decorative embellishments for both public and private spaces. Traditional Baule carving embraces adding ornamental touches […]
In pre-colonial Papua New Guinea, animal teeth, like the dog teeth in this necklace, were used as an exchange medium. They were also used for aesthetic adornment, similar to gold or gems in other cultural contexts. Papuan jewelry often included a variety of animal and […]
The Taino are indigenous people of the Caribbean and the first Native group to encounter Columbus. For the Taino, the term zemi can refer to a deity or ancestral spirit as well as the object or sculpture containing the spirit. The sculptures appear in a […]
The Akan people of Ghana often decorate their textiles, like this cloth, with Adinkra symbols. These symbols have been used for centuries to express different aesthetic themes such as strength, longevity, and remembrance. There are hundreds of documented symbols. They are applied to the dyed […]
La Catrina is a skeletal woman who portrays a maid dressed in her mistress’s fancy clothes for a night out. Illustrator José Guadalupe Posada (1851-1913) created her to remind people that in death we are all equal, and earthly riches cannot be taken to the […]
This Buddhist divination text is from Thailand and is likely at least 100 years old. Written in Old Thai, the text describes the six realms of existence in the Samsara, or cycle of rebirth, and how to achieve a favorable state in the next cycle. […]