Object Notes

This vessel depicts a highly stylized female with an elaborate hairstyle or headdress tapering into a hornlike projection, a pronounced brow, ball-shaped eyes, and a snoutlike mouth with notched lips.

The women's Sande, or Bundu, society, which is found in Liberia and Sierra Leone, traditionally initiated girls into womanhood by preparing them for marriage, family life, and participation in the women's sphere of community life. When they were deemed to be ready, the high-ranking teacher and society leader introduced them to the community as adult women.

Among the objects used to honor the Yoruba god of thunder, Shango, is the oshe Shango, or dance wand. It is carried by Shango priests and devotees during public worship activities and enshrined on the deity's altar.

Shrines dedicated to Shango, the Yoruba god of thunder, are furnished with mortars turned upside down to support large lidded calabash bowls. Shango priests store the deity's thunderbolts (Neolithic celts or axe heads), kola nuts, food offerings, oshe

This lustrous black face mask probably played a role in Dan boys' puberty rites, which were conducted by the men's Poro society, which educated and socialized males. It is a support for a du (vital force or spirit).

A diviner (babalawo) used this tapper (iroke Ifa) with the divination tray (opon Ifa; 2005.84) to fa

A diviner (babalawo) used this divination tray (opon Ifa) with the tapper (iroke Ifa, 1978.40) to facilitate communication with Orunmila, a deity through whom the Creator God s

Royal regalia of the Luba peoples include bow stands, spears, cups, staffs, and thrones. The throne, carved in the form of a caryatid stool called a kipona, is the king's most important symbol of his status. It is tangible proof that he is a descendant of Mbidi Kiluwe, the legendary 17th-century ruler who founded the kingdom.

While the origin of this table is unknown, it was possibly made during China's Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) under the reign of Emperor Kangxi (1661-1722). The image of a dragon is depicted on the top center of the table. In the recreation of La Pausa's Salon at the Dallas Museum of Art, this table is situated on the left side of the room.