African ornament: style features, symbols

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

Ornament is one of the first manifestations of the creativity of ancient peoples. In curls, dashes, circles, cross lines, a person tried to reflect the reality around him. Often the patterns were given a mysterious and magical meaning.

Using ornaments

The tradition of using ornaments in many African countries is still going on. Each of the patterns reflects the wisdom of the ancestors accumulated over the centuries, worldview and faith. African ornaments and patterns were not created just like that, they were given a special meaning.

Depending on the meaning, patterns were used for different rituals and ceremonies. They could be applied to household items and jewelry, to things that went to the grave with the deceased, to items that were used for rituals, to weapons.

Often, African designs were applied to clothes. In West Africa, a special technique was invented for this. The ornament was scratched out on wax, which was previously applied to the fabric. Then the fabric was boiled in boiling paint. The wax melted under the influence of temperature, but the pattern was imprinted on the fabric. one morethe way was to apply the ornament with wooden stamps, which were dipped in paint.

Another material for patterning is leather. To protect themselves from enemies or to win the hunt, Africans paint themselves with symbols. Some are worn for certain occasions and rituals, others can be worn permanently.

Style features

Like other patterns in the world, the African ornament reflects the reality of the people. The bright sun, exotic animals, of course, have found their embodiment in folk art. African patterns are distinguished by contrasting combinations of colors, amazing connection and transformation of various geometric shapes. The use of cold colors and shades is not typical for Africans.

African ornament is usually proportional. The patterns contain many elements, and the drawings are made in the manner of primitivism. They do not draw small elements, the image is more schematic than accurate. Ethiopians often use geometric shapes to decorate houses, stripes are a hallmark of the Benin. Floral drawings are often found among the inhabitants of Côte d'Ivoire.

Symbolics

Color played an important role. Some tribes put the meaning of strength and he alth into the red color, for other tribes it was a mourning color. The African white ornament meant a connection with ancestors and gods. In some tribes, boys could wear yellow only after a certain age.

Often a word, and sometimes a whole phrase or proverb, was put into the meaning of the pattern. In the ornaments of Africa, you can see rhombuses, circles, spirals. Among the symbol may be the image of a crocodile, which means adaptability to various conditions, and, for example, a palm tree among the Ashanti tribe means we alth and independence. Images of crossed swords and a sharp horn were used as military symbols.