Yoruba Gelede Mask
This Yoruba mask was used as part of the Gelede masquerade celebrating female ancestors and elderly women. For the Yoruba, mask performances, are a way of recognizing female status. Click the link to learn more.
Chinese Christmas Card
This Christmas card comes from the collection of Marion Dudley, who was a missionary with the YWCA. She lived and worked in China from the mid-1920s until World War II. Click the link to learn more.
Côte d’Ivoire Toy Car
This toy car was made by a boy of about 10 years old in Ouassou, Côte d’Ivoire, in the late 1990s. Cars like this one are made by youths in many parts of Africa using whatever materials are available. Click the link to learn more.
Egyptian Mummy Casing
This outer case, or coffin, of a mummy was created by applying plaster on top of layers of cloth and then painting the plaster. After a body underwent preservation processes, it was put into this type of coffin. Click the link to learn more.
Brass Leopards
Large brass statues, such as these leopards, were owned by royalty in the Bamun (also spelled Bamum) kingdom, located in the Grasslands of Cameroon. Click the link to learn more.