Color and Creativity: Interpretation of Themes and Design Styles on a Panamanian Conte Bowl

To "outsiders" from the Western industrial world, indigenous art constitutes one of the most fascinating and enticing avenues into the conceptual worlds of indigenous peoples. This is certainly true for pre Columbian societies of the Americas, where artistry in stone, bone, wood, shell, ceramics, and metal encodes aspects of cosmologies and political ideologies that can greatly enhance both our intellectual understanding and our aesthetic appreciation of these ancient societies, provided we can "decode" the often enigmatic (to us) signs and symbols such sophisticated art portrays

Typology and Geography of Outdoor Sculpture in Southwestern Nigeria

The use and distribution of outdoor sculpture across the States of Southwestern Nigeria is phenomenal. The spread, aptly suggest depth, steady rate of practice and the public acceptability of the works as objects of environmental beautification and commemoration. As rich as the art is in the practice and history, apart from isolated studies of few scholars on the subject, there is paucity of information on archetype and the geographical spread of the art which is constantly affected by poor management and devastating socio-political and religious crises, the study therefore became imperative now for a comprehensive art historical record of the nation’s nascent art. The study appraises the outdoor sculpture in Southwest of Nigeria briefly and focuses on the type and geographical spread in order to determine their provenance and document them vis-à-vis their respective locations. The study covers the period of the emergence of outdoor sculpture in Nigeria since 1900 up to 2005 when a decline in the art was noticed. Keywords: Art, Beautification, Civic-instruction, Environmental, Geography, Outdoor Sculptur

Yoruba Contemporary Gele: A Stylistic Appraisal

Gele, pronounced gay-lay, is simply head covering, typified and rooted in feminine fashion of the Yoruba, home and abroad. It is the ultimate apparel adorned by the female folks of all age, class and status; giving acclaimed quintessential top notch appeal, deserving of a true Yoruba dress. In other words, clothing accessories conglomerating costume, footwear, makeup and hairstyle is incongruous without gele particularly in the Yoruba milieu. Gele congruity in female dressing is unequivocably material to recent proclivity and self expressions as observed in generation and regenerations of well over thirty stylish gele ideas and innovations. In view of the latter, this paper examines gele stylistic inclination; using Ibadan as its case in point, being the largest city state in modern Yoruba history. The methodology adopted was triangular approaches of participatory field investigation, online survey and artistic visualisation. Gele adherents and stylists of Ibadan metropolis were physically interviewed, figures sourced virtually and appraised artistically. Eight gele styles were shortlisted and stylistically visualised. Findings revealed dynamism in prevailing gele styles, with apparent classic and comely finesse on beholders. Consequently, this paper hopes it finding will help promotes gele styling among teeming youths locally and globally; provoking studies on the subject matter

Preserving The Archaeological Records In Nsukka Cultural Zone

Abstract Archaeological record within Nsukka cultural zone helps in throwing more light to the activities of the past inhabitants. A careful study of some records shows that they are on the verge of being lost to both human and natural activities. Therefore, preserving them have become imperative so as to have evidence of cultural achievement of the past, which will help to enrich the culture of the present people and also held in their future technological advancement. Introduction Archaeology is the scientific study of the material remains of the past inhabitants in order to reconstruct their ways of life and also fill any missing gap in the peoples history. These remains of the past inhabitants are referred to as the archaeological records, which in a wider perspective constitute the cultural property of the society. Shaw (1975:1) state that these archaeological records include the remains of people themselves, remains of dwellings, remains of people's rubbish, remains of fortifications, graves, remains of religious centres, tools, weapons, objects of adornment, domestic utensils." These records are made of the following materials -stone, bone, metal, baked clay, rock surfaces, organic materials among others. However, these archaeological records having survived till date, need proper care to ensure their usefulness to humanity. Indeed, this is where the challenge lies, because they are continually faced by human and natural threats. These threats, though avoidable, become a clog in the wheel of cultural re-awakening and re-writing of Nsukka people. Nsukka cultural zone is bound to the North West by Kogi State, in the West by Anambra Rivers, and North East and East by Benue State. It lies between the savannah vegetation and rainforest belt of the south eastern Nigeria. Notable plants found in the zone include Elacis guineansis (palm tree), Bamboo bombusear spp., chrysophylum (star apple), treculia atricana (African bread fruit), pentaclethra mancrophylla (oil bean tree) etc. This paper therefore aims to identifying known and unknown archaeological records in the study area and to examine the nature of threat or danger facing them. Measures which should be adopted to ensure the longevity of these records are recommended. This study uses the following methodology -archaeological reconnaissance, oral interview and published materials to execute the research

Socio economic ties between aruba and la Guajira since the Pre-Columbian period

Strong socio economic relations between Aruba and Colombia have existed since the Pre Columbian and its extent can be traced to the Preceramic Period. Specific burial activities in the form of red dye on skulls suggest the continuum of a Preceramic belief system that through La Guajira reached Aruba. The expansion of the Caquetio polity towards la Guajira and settling in Cabo de la Vela beginning of the 15th century intensified the relation between La Guajira and Aruba during the Ceramic Period. The socio economic relation with groups of Rancheria valley and Sierra Nevada was not only based on advantageous trade but on the diffusion of ideas, techniques and religious concepts that got assimilated by the Caquetio of Aruba. The Spanish colonization of the region during the Historic Period and influx of European settlers thereafter brought forth a tremendous increase in traffic to and from La Guajira as a result of an exponential growth in commerce and social relations within the region. Commerce and trade continued after the 1920’s. The recent advent of air travel between Aruba and La Guajira brought forth continuity and further diversification of the existing socio economic ties whereby more people and goods were able to traffic back and forth than before. The socio economic ties between Aruba and La Guajira are expressed nowadays in a close familiar, economic and political relation whereby emphasis is laid on mutual cooperationLas relaciones socio-económicas sólidas entre Aruba y Colombia han existido desde el precolombino y su extensión se puede remontar al periodo Precerámico. Actividades funerarias específicas en forma de tinte rojo en cráneos sugieren la continuidad de un sistema de creencias Precerámico que a través de La Guajira alcanza Aruba. La expansión de la organización política Caquetío hacia la Guajira y establecerse en el Cabo de la Vela comienzo del siglo 15 se intensificó la relación entre La Guajira y Aruba durante el Período de cerámica. La relación socioeconómica con grupos de Ranchería valle y Sierra Nevada no sólo se basaba en el comercio ventajoso, sino en la difusión de las ideas, las técnicas y los conceptos religiosos que consiguió asimilables por el Caquetío de Aruba. La colonización española de la región durante el período histórico y la llegada de colonos europeos a partir de entonces sacó un enorme aumento en el tráfico hacia y desde La Guajira, como resultado de un crecimiento exponencial en el comercio y las relaciones sociales dentro de la región. El comercio e intercambio continuaron después en los comienzos del siglo 20. La reciente aparición de los viajes aéreos entre Aruba y La Guajira sacó la continuidad y la diversificación de las relaciones socio-económicas existentes por lo que más personas y bienes fueron capaces de tráfico de ida y vuelta que antes. Los vínculos socioeconómicos entre Aruba y La Guajira se expresan hoy en día en una relación familiar, económico y político cercano por el que se pone el acento en la cooperación mutua.ABSTRACTStrong socio economic relations between Aruba and Colombia have existed since the Pre Columbian and its extent can be traced to the Preceramic Period. Specific burial activities in the form of red dye on skulls suggest the continuum of a Preceramic belief system that through La Guajira reached Aruba. The expansion of the Caquetio polity towards la Guajira and settling in Cabo de la Vela beginning of the 15th century intensified the relation between La Guajira and Aruba during the Ceramic Period. The socio economic relation with groups of Rancheria valley and Sierra Nevada was not only based on advantageous trade but on the diffusion of ideas, techniques and religious concepts that got assimilated by the Caquetio of Aruba. The Spanish colonization of the region during the Historic Period and influx of European settlers thereafter brought forth a tremendous increase in traffic to and from La Guajira as a result of an exponential growth in commerce and social relations within the region. Commerce and trade continued after the 1920’s. The recent advent of air travel between Aruba and La Guajira brought forth continuity and further diversification of the existing socio economic ties whereby more people and goods were able to traffic back and forth than before. The socio economic ties between Aruba and La Guajira are expressed nowadays in a close familiar, economic and political relation whereby emphasis is laid on mutual cooperation.Keywords: Trade; economic relations; history

Cloud village: a novel

v. 1 Cloud village, a novel: Major work -- v. 2 Ethnographic surrealism and the New World baroque: ExegesisThis thesis examines the moments in which the differences between cultures create new systems of meaning, the moments in which people reinvent themselves and their values, and in which a new language or expression is created. James Clifford calls these moments “Ethnographic Surrealism”, particularly when ethnography provides a critical distance from one’s own culture in order to subvert its assumptions. The creative part of this thesis may be seen as a work of ethnographic surrealism, because it places its main characters, a North American family, on a commune in an isolated mountain in Colombia where their cultural assumptions are denaturalised. Their endeavour is what Mary Louise Pratt called an “anti-conquest”. Instead of wishing to convert others, they wish to be converted by the local tribe. The family is unaware that they survey others with “imperial eyes”. This exegesis focuses specifically on the New World Baroque, an exuberant and inclusive style appropriate to a mestizo culture. It first discusses the Latin American neo-baroque, later expanding the category to certain North American works. Then it looks at the genre of magical realism as a subcategory of the neo-baroque. It uses Clifford’s conception of Ethnographic Surrealism’s juncture between cultures and the notion of a magical realist clash of paradigms to examine fiction about the Other, in particular The Lost Steps by Alejo Carpentier (the story of an anti-conquest) and One Hundred Years of Solitude by Garcia Marquez. It examines moments of ethnographically surrealist collage in which images of the culturally familiar and the strange are juxtaposed. Then it discusses North American works which contain an inclusive baroque spirit: the work of Henry Miller and the invented worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin. Ethnographic surrealism shares with the neo-baroque a sense of inclusiveness, proliferation, expansiveness and syncretism.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Humanities, 2014

Archaeogenomic distinctiveness of the Isthmo-Colombian area

The recently enriched genomic history of Indigenous groups in the Americas is still meager concerning continental Central America. Here, we report ten pre-Hispanic (plus two early colonial) genomes and 84 genome-wide profiles from seven groups presently living in Panama. Our analyses reveal that pre-Hispanic demographic events contributed to the extensive genetic structure currently seen in the area, which is also characterized by a distinctive Isthmo-Colombian Indigenous component. This component drives these populations on a specific variability axis and derives from the local admixture of different ancestries of northern North American origin(s). Two of these ancestries were differentially associated to Pleistocene Indigenous groups that also moved into South America, leaving heterogenous genetic footprints. An additional Pleistocene ancestry was brought by a still unsampled population of the Isthmus (UPopI) that remained restricted to the Isthmian area, expanded locally during the early Holocene, and left genomic traces up to the present day