They can depict anything from animal and human behaviour to important events, or they can simply reflect their environment and various aspects of their lives in shapes and emblems. They can communicate knowledge, feelings and values and therefore play an important role in Africans' concept of reality. They may be rich in proverbial meaning and often signify the collective wisdom of the tribe. Symbols are visual expressions of a society's culture its philosophy, beliefs and history. T +1 64 280 Riverside Drive Suite 13E New York City, NY 10025. Symbolic - Natural or man-made representative motifs: Includes cruciforms, crescents, stars, mosaics, flowers, fruit, seeds, pods, trees all used emblematically. The Bill Simmons Collection of African Ceramics.Geometric - Linear and organic: Diamonds, triangles, lozenges, triangular or square chequerboard, parallel zigzags, chevrons, dots, circles, curved lines or waves, spirals.
Many start with basic tribal face paint (or tattoos) and as they rise through the ranks, more symbols are added to match with their rank and achievements. Using the Crayola Marker cap as a measure helps keep the dots in a uniform size.
Remove the Model Magic from the cap and shape it into a small ball. Firmly press into the Model Magic using Crayola Marker cap. The higher you rank, the more elaborate and complicated your face paint/make-up will be. Flatten a small amount of Model Magic on a hard surface, like a table.
Tribal art differs depending on a person’s rank in society. The symbols are incorporated into face painting, fabrics, on interior wall designs and on pottery. The symbols are found frequently in the West African country of Ghana. The Akan and the Asante tribes of West Africa both use “Adinkra” symbols. When the days body art activities come to an end, liquid latex body paint can be simply lifted and peeled from the skin. In West Africa, many symbols are used to convey messages and values within a community. In hot conditions, staying hydrated and taking breaks to cool off will protect from heat stroke. These symbols are considered sacred, and were primarily used in ceremonial and religious contexts. In Africa, where record of the oldest human communities lie, there are many tribal families that use symbols to tell stories and provide information, reminders and lessons. Symbols are visual keys that have meaning to people with a common heritage around a given symbol. Greens is usually used for life, growth, freshness and healing while white signifies hope, purity and light. Red is used for danger, daring, urgency and energy and blue denotes peace, calmness, confidence and affection. Purple commonly means royalty, luxury, wisdom, and passion and yellow is used for joy, energy and warmth. Each color and each symbol has a certain meaning.īlack is usually used to denote power, evil, death, and mystery while grey is commonly used to mean security, authority, maturity and stability. Some of the most well-known tribes across Africa include the Zulu tribe, members of which live in South Africa, Lesotho & Zimbabwe, the Maasai, who can be found in Tanzania and Kenya, the San Bushmen, who live in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa and the Yoruba, who live in Nigeria, Benin, Ghana and Togo.Īdditional tribes include the Xhosa, who reside in South Africa, the Hausa, found in Niger, Gabon, Burkina Faso and Cameroon, the Himba, who live in Angola and Namibia, the Borana Oromo, who reside in Ethiopia and Kenya, the Kalenjin of Kenya, the Chaga of Tanzania and the Fulani of Nigera, Guinea, Sudan and Senegal.įace paint is usually made out of clay with different hues using dried plants and flowers.