Looking through the eyes of a mask during funerals in African Cultures
http://www.friends-of-benin.org/
Chris Robbins' fantastic Benin Montage
The word funeral comes from the Latin 'funus', which had a variety of meanings, including the corpse and the funerary rites themselves. Some of the general characteristics of African Art are seen through visual abstraction, performance and multiplicity of meaning. We see this through rituals of dance and drums, along with elaborate costumes, masks, statues and figurines. Traditionally, masquerades have the highest level of
freedom in a village. You cannot fight a masquerade, you cannot unmask it, and you have no right to say the name of the person under the mask, even if you know who it is. Once under the mask, he becomes sacred, a person used
to embody the spirit. African masks, which can be traced back to Paleolithic times, have great cultural importance and are highly sought after by both museums and art collectors. Bearing religious, ceremonial,
and cultural significance, African masks typically depict animal and human characteristics and are made from a variety of woods and materials, and often represent a spirit and are worn by a chosen dancer during various celebrations. Connecting the living with the dead, it is believed that the spirits of the ancestors possess the wearer of the African masks. Even
today, African masks play a very important and deep role in telling the history of many African people and their ancestors and speculation about the afterlife is strong in African religions. Death rituals point to life beyond the
grave.
http://youtu.be/RfGU5_CUhyc Endangered African American Musical Instruments - Part 1 9:09 min.
This video talks to us a little bit about the musical instruments and how the history is being lost. Musical instruments will always be needed, so why endangered? Just some extra information.
today, African masks play a very important and deep role in telling the history of many African people and their ancestors and speculation about the afterlife is strong in African religions. Death rituals point to life beyond the
grave.
http://youtu.be/RfGU5_CUhyc Endangered African American Musical Instruments - Part 1 9:09 min.
This video talks to us a little bit about the musical instruments and how the history is being lost. Musical instruments will always be needed, so why endangered? Just some extra information.