Dwarfism and Kyphosis in Art
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Dwarfism and kyphosis (hunched back) are some of the most common types of physical disabilities represented in the art and archaeology of many societies around the world. A number of historical documents and a diverse folklore describe individuals with dwarfism and kyphosis in cultures from Alaska, Africa, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Hawaii, Ireland, Iceland, India, Korea, Lithuania, the Netherlands, North America, Norway, Scandinavia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Art in Traditional Indonesian Cultures
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
It was not so long ago that the supposed superiority of Western art over non-Western indigenous artistic creations was taken for granted.
Themes in Traditional Indonesian Arts
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
In most of the more than three hundred ethnic groups in Indonesia, one encounters the tradition that when claiming the new land, the mythical founder first had to deal with its autochthonous inhabitants—some of them human, some of them the spirits that had always been there, associated with the natural world and predating the arrival of humankind.
Ancestors in Traditional Indonesian Cultures
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
In all traditional Indonesian cultures, ancestors were the preeminent spiritual authorities. They included the earliest settlers, and people memorized genealogies that led from primeval, mythical times to their immediate forebears. Since memories are limited and writing was generally unknown, intervening generations were often compressed into just a few names.
Islam
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The religion of Islam originated in the 7th century in the Arabian peninsula. Islam was founded by an historic individual, the Prophet Muhammad (c. 570-632 CE). The message of Muhammad, considered God's last prophet, centered on his belief in the one true God, Allah. Muhammad's teachings were compiled in the Quran shortly after his death. Muslims acknowledge the Jewish Torah and the Christian Gospels, but believe that Islam is the perfection of the religion that was first revealed to Abraham.
Toraja Ancestral Origin Houses (tongkonan)
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The focal point of Toraja kinship organization and social life is the ancestral origin house. These houses are pile-built structures, with characteristically curved and extended roofs, so cantilevered that the eaves must be supported on special freestanding posts at the front and the rear.