African Folklore: An Encyclopedia - Marshalls University

See Bao; Draughts; Mancala; Wari
African folklore 66
BOARD GAMES
BODY ARTS: BODY DECORATION IN
AFRICA
Throughout human history, members of all societies have developed unique forms for
enhancing the human body through adornment. Within Africa, such aesthetic practices
vary enormously from culture to culture, as do the precious materials harnessed to this
end. The earliest observations of African forms of adornment by Europeans emphasized
their exotic and timeless nature. The same fascination with the decorated body in Africa,
especially that of women, continues to be reflected in the visual collages produced by
contemporary photographers Angela Fisher and Carol Beckwith (Fisher 1984; Beckwith
and Fisher 1990, 2000). The panoramic vistas they afford the viewer at once expand the
geographic parameters of what is perceived to be African, while providing a celebratory
look at the continent’s immense diversity. Nevertheless, they perpetuate an Africa which
is only rural, exotic, and timeless.
Regional traditions of adornment provide visual systems that may be creatively drawn
upon by individuals to express a personalized aesthetic. While such traditions reflect
important local sensibilities, they also document historical exchanges across cultures. In
Africa, physical refinement of the body with jewelry may be complemented by lavish
clothing and hairstyles. Actually, the decoration of the human body involves even more
than these obvious alterations. Some people might use nakedness, the complete absence
of adornment of the body, as a stage in an initiation ceremony. Others may completely
cover the body as in masquerades. There can be temporary decoration such as hair
decoration or cutting, or there can be permanent decorations as with scarification. Body
decoration is used throughout Africa by various cultures to mark stages of growth and
rites of passage. From birth, through initiation and marriage, to death, changes in the
appearance and decoration of the human body serve to communicate the status of the
individual. Although much body decoration is significant, it is also possible that the
decoration exists only for the enjoyment of esthetic expression.
Over the centuries and across the vast geographical expanse of the continent, different
African societies have variously measured wealth in gold, silver, brass, ivory, and
beadwork. Refined by highly talented specialists, these materials were translated into
forms of adornment in order to enhance their owner’s power and prestige. In Africa, as in
other world cultures, jewelry constitutes an important emblem of its wearer’s status and
identity.