African Cultural Artifact Essay

Total Length: 927 words ( 3 double-spaced pages)

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African Cultural Artifact

Present a detailed description of the artifact, and analyze in detail how the artifact relates to the values, belief of the culture

The artifact that we will be examining is the Seated Male from Cote d'Ivoire - Baule. This is a statue of seated male wearing a traditional head mask. The way that this relates to different values and beliefs is to show a realistic person sitting in a chair. However, the mask that they are wearing is illustrating spiritual beliefs. As a result, this affects the values of society, by showing how everyone is concerned about everyday events that are inter-related to a spiritual world. ("Seated Male," 2012)

Investigate and evaluate the deep cultural roots of your artifact.

The artifact has deep cultural roots, as the people of Cote d'Ivoire -- Baule think that there is a connection between reality and mysticism. In these kinds of situations, there is the view that men and women will take on two different partners from each world. In the everyday life, they will have their traditional wife or husband. While in the spiritual world, is when they will have a second wife or husband. In the case of the Seated Male, this is a statue that is a gift from an African woman to her husband in the spiritual world. This can be seen with the mask and the physique of the individual.
These factors are illustrating how this individual is the embodiment of the most desirable attributes in society. ("Baule," 2004)

What historical roots allowed your artifact to come into being.

The basic historical roots that helped the artifact come into being are the deep seeded religious beliefs in society and its impact on daily life. This is because different natural events and phenomenon would occur. During this time, is when various spirits and gods were used to explain why this is happening. It is at this point that these ideas began to influence the actions of everyone. As they wanted to become closer to the spirits for: protection and the ability to improve their social status. When someone is creating these kinds of statues, they are showing these different ideas in the artwork. This is when it will become a symbol of how the individual is embracing these ideals based upon the statute they created. ("Baule," 2004)

What cultural periods might have influenced its eventual development?

There are several different cultural periods that could have influenced the development of the statue. The most notable include: antiquity period and the middle / non-European periods. The antiquity age is when different civilizations in Africa would have an impact on culture. In the case, the statues and art work of the Egyptians had an effect on other tribes. This occurred with them implementing….....

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https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/african-cultural-artifact-111322