Asante Royal Regalia
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Regalia distinguishes Asante royals and indicates the positions held by royal attendants. Items of regalia frequently incorporate gold as a display of royal power. Not only do these accessories dazzle the beholder, they also visualize Asante proverbs about leadership and society.
The Asante Kingdom
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
A subgroup of the Akan peoples, the Asante are Twi-speaking matrilineal peoples primarily located in south-central Ghana. From the founding of the Asante kingdom at the start of the 18th century, the Asante constituted the most numerous and prominent of the Akan. Vast quantities of gold and bedazzling royal regalia established the kingdom’s reputation.
Axumite Empire
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The prosperous Axumite Empire developed in the 1st century CE in what is now northern Ethiopia. Due to its rich natural resources and agricultural production, as well as its strategic position on the Red Sea, Axum traded far and wide. The Axumite Empire exported incense, ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoiseshell, apes, and slaves through the port of Adulis on the Red Sea and imported goods and ideas from Syria, Egypt, and other lands. During the 4th century, the Axumites defeated the Nubian empire of Meroë.
Mentawai
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The inhabitants of the Mentawai Archipelago, west of Sumatra, came into contact with the Western world relatively late. Siberut, Mentawai’s northernmost island, was especially ill-reputed for its tradition of headhunting. About the same size as Indonesia’s best-known island, Bali, it consists of approximately 1,478 square miles.
The Timorese
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The cultural diversity of Timor is most pronounced on East Timor. Here, besides the Northern and Southern Tetun, at least ten different groups can be identified. Of these, the Mambai, Kemak, Fataluku, Galoli, and Makassae are best known. In addition, a third Tetun-speaking community known as the Eastern Tetun resides in the southeast. The situation in West Timor is somewhat simpler.
Ono Niha
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Nias is an island on the western edge of the Indonesian archipelago.
Yup'ik
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The Arctic coasts of Alaska and Canada are part of the Arctic, or North Pacific Rim, culture area. The resources of this rich maritime environment have played a significant role in the region's cultures. Birds, fish, shellfish, and many sea mammals— sea otters, whales, seals, sea lions, and walrus—provide food, and from the sea mammals come other products such as oil, skins, and ivory.
Haida
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Refers to the culture and artwork of the Haida-speaking North American Indians of what is now the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, Canada, and the southern part of Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, in the United States. The Alaskan Haida are called Kaigani. The indigenous culture of the Ravens is also a subgroup of the Haida.
Hopi Katsinas (Kachinas)
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
For the Hopi, the word kachina (katsina) refers to three distinct but related entities: the invisible spirits who are an essential part of Hopi life, the personification of those spirits in ceremonial dances, and the carved and decorated dolls that the kachinas give to infants and women. Kachinas serve as intermediaries between the supernatural and human realms.
Hopi
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Hopi refers to the culture and style of the westernmost group of Pueblo Indians, situated in what is known today as northeastern Arizona, on the edge of the Painted Desert. The Hopi speak a Shoshonean language of Uto-Aztecan source. Although the origin of the Hopi is unknown, it is believed that they and other Pueblo peoples descended from the Ancestral Pueblo (Anasazi).