16 Jul 2009 | no comments »
1. Strong adhesion to local regional prototype: alteration of color, design,and workmanship is discouraged.
2. Weaving done by men, and cotton and wool spun by women.
3. Wool blankets employed from Novemberthrough January to keep the mosquitos out.
The third image is a Landal pattern.
The horizontal black lines: transhumant paths followed each year by the mograting nomads and their herds.
The six triangular forms: hillocks. The Puel village build their buildings on hillrocks to remain dry during the high water period.
White stripes with black speckles: difficult paths, black symbolizes obstacles found along the way.
The fourth image is a Landaka pattern, which means one does not wonder. It is the finest quality of khasa weaving
Bogolan, or Bogolanfini is a mud-dyed cotton textile that originated with the Bamana women of Mali and its origin is closely tied to the animist Bamana religion and rural agricultural society. The symbols and context in which the cloth was used were central to Bamana culture. The development of Islamic beliefs in Mali contributed to the decline in the traditional uses of Bogolanfini in Malian society. However, 21st century Bogolan craft has evolved to include paintings and high fashion, as well as Bogolan produced for the tourist market. Traditionally made and highly detailed Bogolan is not commonly sold.
The cloth is made by sewing together strips of hand-spun and hand-loomed cotton. The cotton is then treated with a plant-based mordant to increase the adhesion of mud-based dyes. The artisans dye the background of the patterns, leaving the patterns undyed. This is different from resist type dyeing like Batik where areas are blocked out from receiving dye. Once the cloth has been dyed and washed several times, the designs are then whitened with a plant-based bleaching agent. Contemporary practice has modified the process so that the mud may be applied over stencils, or applied as the design over a colored background. Some of these adaptations allow for the Bogolan to be made for a mass market.
11 Jul 2009 | no comments »
Traditional bogolan (mudcloth) textile by Nakunte Diarra. Threads of Change – The Transformation of West African Textiles Michigan State University Museum
- An example of earthen building (upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Maison_toucouleurs.jpg)
Dogon architecture near the cliffs of Bandiagara (www.panoramio.com/photo/1036009 - Max VAVASSORI)
Interior view of a nomadic Tuareg tent (everythingspossible.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/dscn8950.jpg)
06 Jul 2009 | no comments »
There are essentially three building traditions: earthen, stone, and nomadic. These styles reflect the lifestyles of those who create them – earthen is the most common, and has come to be known as the Western Sudanic style. It is often seen in residential and religious structures and has been copied by French colonial builders for official government buildings in Mali, many of which are still in use today. Stone building is practiced in the Dogon country, and its architectural forms mix stone, clay, and wood for houses, shrines, and walled enclosures. Nomadic architecture is based on flexible wooden frameworks covered with mats or tents which are then covered with hides or fabric. These structures are used by Tuareg, Moors (Maures), Sonraï, and Fulani (Peul) herders who travel seasonally to new pastures, taking their houses with them as they settle in new places.
For more detailed information, I encourage all to read “What kind of Architecture for Mali? A Dilemma of continuity of tradition and the influence of modernity”, by Moussa DOUMBIA, PhD – Ecole Nationale d’Ingénieurs (ENI), Bamako, Mali.
—Gwynne
Tailors at work
06 Jul 2009 | no comments »
Although clothes can be purchased “off the rack” most Malians have their clothing custom sewn by tailors. Cloth is purchased and taken to a tailor and a pattern chosen. Tailors specialize in styles from traditional to hand-sewn festival garments and European styles. Most tailors work in shop fronts on treadle machines. Some manufacturing has been introduced through micro-loans for sewing businesses creating goods for export: such as Bogolan bags and medical scrubs.
06 Jul 2009 | no comments »
The life of a Mande Blacksmiths is one that encompasses many professions: artist, craftsman, healer, and sorcerer. Source: The Mande Blacksmiths.
02 Jul 2009 | no comments »
A woman wearing traditional Malian jewelry: Four-lobed earrings, a bicone-bead necklace, and pendants on forehead and coiffeur.
A goldsmith working on earrings. Simple tools are used, some of which include chafing dishes, bellows of goatskin for heating the metal, and various sizes of hammers, pincers, and files. There is little distinction between metalsmiths and goldsmiths, and do many other jobs as an extension of their skills.
Millet is a Malian staple. Women spend many hours a day preparing millet for consumption. image from www.ecovamali.org
02 Jul 2009 | no comments »
The people of Mali rely on grain crops as staples. The primary grains are millet, sorghum, and rice. Both millet and sorghum require extensive preparation in order to make edible. Grain porridge is usually topped with sauces. These sauces can be made with peanuts, okra, baobab leaves or sweet potato leaves and may contain meats and vegetables. Chicken is common meat source with goat reserved for special occasions. Goat milk, cheeses, and yogurt are an essential part of the diet, but due to cost does not play as prominent a role as grain crops.
Cooking is done mostly in a metal vessel over a wood or charcoal fire. Those with more resources use liquid propane gas a cooking fuel.
Various Activities at the Kuona Trust
02 Jul 2009 | no comments »
Malian music originated along the banks of the Niger River. Griots, also known as oral historians would sing to celebrate not only their history and culture, but also the achievements of kings. Depending on which region a griot was from, they would be rewarded for sharing their knowledge with money, cattle, or even houses.
Instruments
Kora – 21 or 25 string models
– Half of a Calabash covered with cow skin
– Sound resembles a harp
N’goni – 4-7 string lute
– “Malian Banjo”
Balafon – 17-21 keys
– Fixed key, keys suspended above gourds
– Free key, keys on a padded surface
Drums – (Bonkolo, Jenbe, Dunnun)
– Can be played with hands, mallets, bamboo sticks or any combination
Bars and clubs are often intimate venues that are very small with thatched roofs. They attract not only Malian starts but also international stars such as Ry Cooder, John Lee Hooker and Robert Plant
Artists
Ali Farka Toure
-76th on Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Guitarists of All-Time
- 2 Grammy Awards
Vieux Farka Toure
Oumou Sangare
– Major advocate for women’s rights
– Ambassador of the FAO
Salif Kieta
– Descendant of royalty
– Went against family to become a griot
Unlike Western thought, unless an art piece serves a particular purpose, it has no value.
Due to their sacred power, these artists generally became social outcasts in an effort to remain “pure.” This also consisted of a separation between people of different crafts.
01 Jul 2009 | no comments »
Artists would spend a long period of time in the bush waiting for instruction from a djinn, a creative spirit, to tell them the exact location of the tree they were to fell.
Thus, a person who only knows how to carve could never make a true ritual object.
When creating a ritual object, you are seeking to recreate these objects dropped Mr. Jigi. Therefore, the wood must either come from a tree growing from the banks of the Niger, a Balenbo, or Lenke, a tree growing out of a Termite Mound. Termite mounds were believed to be connected to the Niger by an underground stream. Thus, a tree growing from one would still be in contact with the sacred water of the Niger.
Tools were given human characteristics.
Tools just like the artist needed to be kept pure.
Apprenticeship is more about learning rules for use of tools and controlling the nygama within the wood than about aesthetics.
A successful object is one that works. Not one that is aesthetically pleasing.
Carving is not done in public
a)People breaking the artist’s concentration
b)Fear of other artists stealing their methods
Face south towards the Niger, the place of fertility.
Sculptures today are usually intended for sale to tourists and are losing traditional purpose driven characteristics.
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