Sachgebiete

Beschreibung:

95 S.; Illustr. (tls. auch farbig); 28 cm; kart.

Bemerkung:

Gutes Exemplar. - Aus der Bibliothek von Dr. H. J. Koloß / Völkerkunde-Museum Berlin. - Englisch. - By Erie Loran, Thomas K. Seligman, Jane P. Dwyer, Edward B. Dwyer. // INHALT : Foreword ----- By Ian McKibbin White ----- Preface ----- By Thomas K. Seligman ----- On Our Collection ----- By Erie Loran ----- African Ancestors as Cosmic Connectors ----- By Thomas K. Seligman ----- African Catalogue ----- Entries by Thomas K. Seligman and Kathleen Berrin ----- Ancient Art of Mexico: Death and the Ancestors ----- By Jane P. Dwyer and Edward B. Dwyer ----- Ancient Mexican Catalogue ----- Entries by Jane P. Dwyer and Edward B. Dwyer ----- Selected Bibliography ----- By Jane Gray Nelson. // ... The ancestors as harmonizers are also capable of giving power to spirits who can, in turn, cleanse the village or tribe from illness, personal misfortune, witchcraft, social tension and a myriad of other problems. The Baule gba gba and kplekple masks (plate 41) are excellent illustrations of this process, as are the Ekpo society masks (plate 55) and figures (plate 56) of the Ibibio people. The ancestors may also function to ward off evil powers, especially those from witchcraft. This practice can be clearly seen among the Kota and Fang people of Gabon whose ancestral reliquaries (plates 60 & 61) are used to drive off malevolent supernatural forces. During a lifetime, the ancestors invest every act, every word, and every thought with their energy. At birth, a child will often be named after a venerated ancestor so that he will acquire extra strength. During initiation rituals the ancestors are present in many forms, helping to prepare the initiate for complete integration within the group. At such times, masks which represent various aspects of ancestral power and wisdom appear in order to instruct initiates. Literally hundreds of masks are used to convey tribal traditions to initiates among the complex secret initiation societies such as the Poro and Sande of Liberia and adjacent areas of Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Ivory Coast (plates 38 & 39). Masks from these areas also function to maintain the traditional social system that was established long ago by the ancestors. Vitally important in life, ancestral intervention becomes especially crucial at death for that is when the deceased moves towards the realm of the ancestors. As Mbiti (1969, p. 149) says, "Death stands between the world of human beings and the world of the spirits, between the visible and the 'invisible.'" ? (S. 18) ISBN 088401004X