robert farris thompson - face of the gods: art and altars of africa and the african america

8/20/2019 Robert Farris Thompson - Face of the Gods: Art and Altars of Africa and the African America

1/13

Face of the Gods: The Artists and Their AltarsAuthor(s): Robert Farris ThompsonSource: African Arts, Vol. 28, No. 1 (Winter, 1995), pp. 50-61Published by: UCLA James S. Coleman African Studies CenterStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3337250Accessed: 06/06/2010 17:47

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available athttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless

you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and youmay use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use.

Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained athttp://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=jscasc .

Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printedpage of such transmission.

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].

UCLA James S. Coleman African Studies Center is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extendaccess to African Arts.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/3337250?origin=JSTOR-pdfhttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=jscaschttp://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=jscaschttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/stable/3337250?origin=JSTOR-pdf


2/13

O F T H

T H E RTISTS

N D T H I R LT RS

ROBERT FARRIS THOMPSON

Curated yRobert arrisThompson,with specialassistance from

C. Daniel Dawson, Faceof the Gods:

Art and Altars of Africa and the AfricanAmericas presented pproximately

eighteen altars composed f more han

100 African and African-Americanartworks. Originating at the Museum

for African Art in New York City

(September 4, 1993-January , 1994),

the exhibition has traveled o the Seattle

Art Museum (see review n African

Arts, Autumn 1994, p. 74) and is

currently at the University Art Museum,

Berkeley, hrough February . Future

host institutions are the Museum of Fine

Arts, Montgomery March 19-May 21),

and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts,

Richmond June 27-September 0).

The altars n the exhibition were

installed after the companion atalogue,

by Robert Farris Thompson, ad been

written (336 pp., 27 b/w & 286 color

photos; 70 hardcover, 39.50 softcover)and therefore o not appear n that

volume. African Arts is pleased o

illustrate most of the African-American

examples n the following pages, togetherwith discussion drawn rom the

exhibition exts and short biographies ftheir makers.

ltars everywhere are sites of ritual communication with heaven, ancestors,and spirits, marking the boundary between the ordinary world and the

world of the spirits. Elevated or grounded, simple or elaborate, personal or

communal, they focus the faithful in worship. Altars are central to African religions on

both sides of the Atlantic, inspiring women and men to set down offerings to the gods

and build models of heaven.

This exhibition articulates two principal metaphors for altars in the African-Atlantic

world-one Yoruba, one Kongo. Among the Yoruba and other Kwa speakers of West

Africa, the altar is referred to as a face of the gods, a place for appeasement, where

votive pottery is placed and cool liquids are poured from vessels. Yoruba altars gleam

with massed vessels whose fragility demands tact and delicacy in worship. In contrast,

Kongo civilizations of Central Africa consider the altar to be a turning point, the

crossroads, the threshold to another world. Kongo worshipers make the tombs of their

ancestors into altars, using a cross-in-a-circle pattern mirroring the passage of the sun

to signify the cycle of life and chart the immortal journey of the soul.In terms of museum practice, Face of the Gods adopts a range of approaches that

are usually separate. Some of the objects on display had religious applications long

ago, but have acquired a second history in museum exhibits or collections. Others

were created and sanctified by religious leaders in the Museum for African Art, and

these exhibits have religious applications now. Still others are partial or total recon-

structions, as in the dioramas found in traditional natural history museums. As a sec-

ondary issue, the exhibition thus explores the contested borders between authenticityand inauthenticity, art and belief.

50 african rts winter 995


3/13

YORUBA GODSAND THEIR EMBLEMS

The Yoruba ofNigeria,

sixteen millionstrong, are heirs to an ancient culturerenowned for its complexity. One sectionof the exhibition presents the visualvocabulary of Yoruba worship on bothsides of the Atlantic. The orisha, ordeities, in the Yoruba pantheon distin-guish themselves in altars by their col-ors, foods, banners, and icons. Undercreole inventive pressure, these emblemsvary and change, but nonetheless theyspan three continents and many cen-turies with remarkable consistency.

Transparent beads on Yoruba altarsspeak of the goddesses of the waters;blue and white symbolize Yemoja andthe Atlantic Ocean; transparent yellow,the color of love, honey, and sweetness,personifies Oshun. Black and red, sym-bolic of extreme power, including nightand fire, identify the trickster Eshui-Elegba. Raffia and seed stand for NanaBukuiu and her son, Obaluaiye, the deityof earth and disease.

Foremost among altars of boldnessand immediacy on both sides of theAtlantic are those dedicated to Shang6,the thunder god. Religions of Yoruba ori-gin have been named for him throughoutthe Caribbean and Brazil. Shang6's colorsare red and white, red indicating the flash

of his lightning-like a knife in the eyes ofall liars and adulterers-and white hiscontrolling calm and purity of character.Manifested in storms, Shang6 brings tothe world a purifying moral vengeance. PHOTO: JERRY L THOMPSON. COURTESY OF THE MUSEUM FOR AFRICAN ART

Oju Oxala: Afro-Brazilian ltarto the Yoruba Creator GodBased on an altar made by Mai ocelinha nSalvador, ahia, Brazil, ummer 1982.Mountedby Eneida

Assunq.oSanches, withaltar

metalwork yClodimirMenezes da Silva Oxalastaffs, metal plates), and EneidaAssunqaoSanches (crown, ells,spoon), both of Salvador,Bahia,Brazil.

This mmaculate ltar ojt) conveys he glory,honesty, nd purity f Oxala theYoruba

Obat.l.),god of creativity nd custom. Clean

white loths, lowers, metals, and ceramic ilesare evocations f his spotless reputation. eforethe altar s a bed inwhite inen upon whichdevotees maykneel and meditate efore hisinspiring resence. The tin staffs (opaxoro) yClodomirMenezes da Silva Mimito)ignify hematurity nd wisdom fOxalufom, he eldest ofOxala's vatars.

Eneida Assungao SanchesBorn n 1962 in Salvador, ahia, Brazil,EneidaSanches began studyingpainting, culpture,music, dance, and copeira under he tutelageof RobitaBalgida,Director f the Little choolof Art n Bahia.She went on to study paintingand filmat the AntonioVieira chool and archi-tecture at the Federal University f Bahia,receivingher bachelor f science degree inarchitecture n 1990.Sanches learned eligiousmetalworking rommaster metalworker ilmarTavares; heir echnique descends from longtradition riginating nAfrica. anches hastraveled xtensively, tudyingmultiple ormsofarchitectural nd spiritual rt, and is currentlyworking s a sculptor nSalvador. he hasexhibited n Brazil t the Boa Morte Festival nCachoeira, he Casa do Benin,and the Centrode Estudos AfroBrasileiros; nd in the UnitedStates at the Caribbean Cultural enter,NewYorkCity.

african rts winter 995 51


4/13

Obatala's WarriorsMadebyJohn Masonof NewYork.

Obatla.,the Yoruba od of creativity nd purity,

has four warriors r avatars edicated o hisprotection: shb, he trickster the head in thelowearthenware owl);Ogon, he blacksmith(metal mplements nd ron pot);Oshbbsi, hehunter antlers nd bow);and Osanyin, hedoctor staff). oined ogether, hese fourdeitiesprovide n everlasting hield n

Obatal.'shonor.

John MasonInitiated s a priest of ObatalA n 1970,JohnMason s the director f the Yoruba heological

Archministryn NewYorkCityand has taught

and lectured hroughout he United States on awide variety f subjects, most recently nYoruba rt at the Art nstitute f Chicago. Hisstudy of Yoruba ulture n the AfricanAmericas,based on fieldresearch nthe U.S.,Cuba, Haiti,Brazil, rinidad, amaica, and Puerto Rico,hasyielded he books OnjeFun Orisa,Food for heGods (1981),BlackGods: Orisa Studies n theNew World 1985),and OrinOrisa: ongs forSelected Heads (1992).He has also worked nfeature-length ilmson AmericanYoruba radi-tions, ncluding he BBC'sNew York: ecretAfricanCity, nd was a special consultant o ElMuseodel Barrio n NewYork or he exhibition

SantaCommida. Mason s also a designer,musician, nd drum maker, pecializing nthemusic of Cuba, Haiti,Puerto Rico,Trinidad,Nigeria, nd Ghana.

PHOTO: . DANIEL AWSON

PHOTO: C. DANIEL DAWSON



5/13

PHOTO: JERRY L. THOMPSON. COURTESY OF THE MUSEUM FOR AFRICAN ART

Altar o Seven Yoruba DeitiesMade byAlbertoMorgan f UnionCity,NewJersey.

Here, even prominent eities (orichas) an bedistinguished y the color of their loth and sym-bolically oded bead necklaces. They are, fromleft the spelling f each Yoruba eity s Cuban-Yoruba): hang6 red and white),Obatala(white),OchOn yellow),EleguB black nd red),Oya-Yansa maroon), emaya blueand white),and Olokun dark lueand coral).The faces ofthe Yoruba eities nCuba are masked withincovered ureens holding tones of spiritualpowerand authority. he orichas, ach richlydraped, re placed ogether oran initiationanniversary r the feast day of an individualoricha.Creole recombinations re evident ntheiconography.

AlbertoMorganAlbertoMorganwas born n Havana, Cuba, n1939 and came to the United States n 1980.Apriest of Santeria or hirty-two ears, hecombines his artistic alents and spiritualsensibilities o build altars. He studied dance,drama, nd painting t Havana's well-knownSan Alejandro chooland has toured France,Spain, and Belgium s a performer nd dancer.Very ctive n the theater, Morgan ravelsbetween Puerto Rico,UnionCity, nd Miami.He has performed n Ochun Obejeye, playabout he

African-syncretic aints/deitiesOchOn, t. Lazarus, t. Barbara, nd Elegui;at Carnegie Halland Radio CityMusicHallwithOlga Guillo; nd with CeliaCruz n a tribute othe Cuban musical enius BennyMore.Anauthor f songs and plays based on Cubanlegends, his current musicalproject s acollaboration ith RuthFernandez, who iscalled the CeliaCruzof Puerto Rico.

PHOTO C DANIEL DAWSON

african rts*

winter 995 53


6/13


TIED SPACE AND SPIRITUALCIRCLING:KONGO-ATLANTIC ALTARS

About forty percent of the ten million per-sons taken from Africa in the AtlanticTrade between 1550 and 1850 came fromKongo-influenced Central Africa. To this

day, Kongo elders tie plates belongingto ancestors to trees or branches in thecemetery to arrest their talents for thebenefit of the living. Under creole pres-sure, this custom reemerged in theAfrican-American and African-Caribbean

bottle tree, where spirits, attracted bythe flash of the bottles, are captured.Tying is the metaphoric binding togetherof spirit and object, or spirit to a location,such as inside a bottle. It can be symbol-ized in various other ways, among themwrapping with string, driving in nails,and chaining and padlocking an object.

The powerful Kongo tradition of thenkisi, or medicine of God, tells the

spir-it what to do with material ideographs.Hence a figure with a mirror drives offevil in the flash of the glass, or soarsinvincibly with feathers, or blesses mysti-cally with other symbolic elements. Faceof the Gods includes two small mirror-nkisi from Kongo and culturally relatedfeather- and mirror-studded Kongo pac-quets from Haiti. Opposite these, a yardshow provides an answering black NorthAmerican tradition of using mirrors onthe porch or on the front wall to guard ahouse from evil.

Bottle Tree(foreground)Combines he string-and-hurl tyle of CorneliusLee of Tidewater, irginia inwhichbottlesconnected with tring re thrown ver a branch),and the stub-and-jam tyle of the MississippiDelta bottles re jammed nto he ends of

branches). he latter ecalls he impaled latesof Kongo.

Customs ike tying he talents of the dead totrees withplates, and the belief hat he flash ofglass when hit by light an attract nd captureevil,have used together n NorthAmerica nthefestive-looking ottle ree. It mplies hefollowingmessage: If oucome to do harm,here are dead trees and dead branches romthe forest of the protective ead, but fyou comein good faithmayyour oul bestrengthened n the flash of their pirit. pirit-repelling killets re painted ed oresemble he taillights f an automobile.

Yard Show(background)Bottle awn n he style of BlackAustin,Texas;prepared uardian ollsand wheel with kull byblack raditionalist ypPacknett f southwest-ern Mississippi.

Bottles illed withcoloredwater ward ffdogs,but more han dogs are being urned way.Thepower of bottles and medicines s protectiveart orms s hallmarked ere. In hiscompositeof variousAfrican-Americanard raditions, ypPacknett ied twin dolls,one witha pistol, o thefrontwallof his house so that all might ealizeforces under God guard his premises and

know ow o take care of things. naddition,tire planter, lades from lectric ans, and awagon wheel encode the preoccupation iththe cycling nd continuity f the soul.



7/13

Kongo Tree Altar o the AncestorsPrepared nd consecrated yDr.K.KiaBunsekiFu-Kiau f Zaire nd Boston.

The Kongo ustom of showing ffection or hedead by surrounding he grave withplatesattached o sticks prefigures ne kind f NorthAmerican ottle ree. The plates' esemblanceto mushrooms vokes a Kongo un:matondo/tonda, ushroom/to ove. K. KiaBunsekiFu-Kiau ffered he following ordsatthe consecration f this mushroom ree :

InAfrica, eforeany dedication ventsuch as the dedication f this mushroomtree, ne would always ay, Mfuma amfuma, ganga na nganga. This mottostates, Politicians eal withpoliticians;doctorswithdoctors. We gather herebecause we all loveand appreciate rtand ts hidden meanings, esterday,today, nd omorrow.When a powerfulindividual-a eader, chief, a twin-moth-er, a hero, a community ealer, r thecommunity istorian-dies, one says, N'tiubunddbidi, The ree has fallen, r Sisikizimini, hichmeans The lame sgone. This allen ree inthe upper worldjoins he ancestors nthe lower world,and o offer

hanks, ars, pots, knives,plates, bottles,and bracelets re laid onthe ancestral ombs.

K.KiaBunsekiFu-KiauOriginally romZaire, K.KiaBunsekiFu-Kiaunowworksat the Suffolk CountyHouse ofCorrections utside Boston.There hedeveloped and implemented he courses

AfricanWorld nd Culture, n insight nto heAfrican oots of African-Americanulture,geared toward uilding elf-esteem and asense of pride among nmates f Africandescent in particular. ehas also taught atseveral universities, mong hem YaleandTufts, nd published umerous rticles on

Kongo aithand healing raditions. u-Kiau asreceived degrees in psychology nd culturalanthropology, s wellas master's egrees ineducation nd library cience, and a Ph.D. neducation nd community evelopment romthe Union nstitute nCincinnati.

PHOTO: JERRY L THOMPSON. COURTESY OF THE MUSEUM FOR AFRICAN ART



8/13

Saamaka AltarAn evocation f the Saamaka highaltar o theancestors at Asindoopo, uriname.

Aflagaltar o the ancestors wouldhave housed

a guardian igurewith unereal white

headwrapand the striped loths prizedby the ancestors.Pegged and dramatically oisted owardheaven, he fabrics xalt hose who iberatedthemselves romplantation lavery.Thesurrounding ence is an old-style rnamentationmeant o please the ancestors hroughre-creation f their art orms.

FLAG ALTARSTO THE ANCESTORS

In the rain forests of Suriname, SouthAmerica, multiple African and Europeantraditions fuse in the flag altars of theNdjukA and Saamaka. Composed of peo-ples of Mande, Akan, and Fon/Ewe, aswell as Kongo and Yoruba origin, theseAfrican-influenced maroon societies useflags to signal spiritual presence and cul-tural independence. They specially honorheroic ancestors who heard the guns ofwar -who successfully fought-for libera-tion from plantation slavey in the eigh-teenth century.

Honoring the ancestors with cloth is atradition of the Yoruba, Kongo, and othercultures throughout West and CentralAfrica. Yoruba-Cuban practitioners drapetheir altars with vertical pieces of cloth tocreate throne-like atmospheres. The

Kongo use flags spiritually to capture thewind; their word for flag also carriesmeanings of wind and spirit, a bannerwaving in the breeze that represents anhonored ancestor.

Two maroon flag altars, both commu-nal, are represented in the exhibition. Oneis an evocation of the Ndjuka high altar tothe ancestors at Dii Tabiki, the capital ofthe Ndjukd people. It recalls how Ndjukdaltar makers suspend long, immaculatewhite cloths from the top of a T-form crosswithin a carpentered enclosure to call onGod (Gaa Gadu) and the ancestors. Thesecond, a Saamaka altar, is shown here.

PHOTO ERRY THOMPSON. OURTESY FTHEMUSEUM ORAFRICAN RT



9/13

THE CIRCLING OF THE SOULAND KONGO MEDICINES OF GOD

At the core of classicalKongo eligion sthe cosmogram alled dikenga, crosswithin a circle,a symbolic hart of thevoyageof the soul. It revolves ike a starin heaven, a shining circle, he sun inminiature. As a miniature of the sun, thesoul has four moments: birth (sunrise),flowering (high noon), fading (sunset),and the return in the dawn of a comingday. The dikenga sign also takes the formof a cross without a circle, a simple dia-mond, or a diamond with adornments ateach of the four points. Because theKongo believe the soul resides in the

forehead, dikenga motifs often adorn theforeheads of masks.The nkisi (pl. minkisi) s a medicine of

God. It is created by a priest, filled withearths to summon spirits, and with ideo-graphic writing and objects to tell thespirit how to protect the soul of its ownerand others in need. Among the moredramatic minkisi are the zinkondi, thefamous Kongo blade images, studdedwith thorns, wedges, nails, and blades,and used in Central Africa for oath-tak-ing, protection, and healing. In Cuba,minkisi are placed in isolated rooms, clos-ets, corners, or crossroads, and adornedwith feathers, stones, sticks, beads,earths, and iron. Many minkisi are set inspiritual motion with multiple feathers. PHOTO: JERRY L THOMPSON. COURTESY OF THE MUSEUM FOR AFRICAN ART

Altar o the Spirit Sarabanda Rompe MonteDesignedand executed by Felipe GarciaVillamil f Matanzas Cuba) nd the Bronx(NewYork).Wall rawings firmas) xecuted byAlfonso errano, lagexecuted by SantiagoBarriarios, nd metal ymbolof Sarabandamade by Ogundipe ayomi.Myname s NkuyuWatariamba.Myroad s Sarabanda.I was born on the twenty-first f September,1993.

One form of Kongo ltar ound nthe Afro-Cubanreligion f Palo Monte alsocalled PaloMayombe) s nkisiSarabanda. arabanda sconsidered ysome Palo priests o be the spiritof a powerful ailroad orker. hisnkisiwascreated by a priest and s composed of objectsfrom he world f the living e.g., bones, shells,feathers, lants) nd other objects uch asstones and different ypes of soils. The altar dis-playedhere s based on a closet model nwhich

FelipeGarcia's arabanda as mounted.Hanging rom he nkisi re beaded animal ornsused for protection nddivination. he hornswithmirrors re called vititimensu leavesaboutthe eyes), and one without mirror s called ampaka horn).

On the floor nfront f Sarabanda s anothernkisi alled LuceroMundo, hich epresents hemorning r evening tar. t acts as a squire oSarabanda nd assists him n his work. Thebottleon the left contains hamba, mixture frum nd herbs used to salute and activateminkisi. he small white hells on the floor arecalled chamalongo nd are used for divination.Above he closet enclosure hangs a protectivespirit,Gurufinda. he nkisi, he closet doors,and the large red lagon the back wallarecovered withprotective igns called irmas(signatures) r gand6s (spiritual ocks).Thesesigns are also used to assist the nkisi n itsmovement hrough imeand space.

FelipeGarcia VillamilThe synthesis and syncretism f Afro-Cubanreligion nd music are FelipeGarcia Villamil'sheritage. A master musician nd craftsman nboth Yoruba nd Kongo raditions, e was bornin Matanzas, Cuba, ntoa well-known usicaland spiritual amily.Hismother, omasaVillamil,is the granddaughter f Yorubamusicians romthe city-state f Oyo,Nigeria.His ather,BenignoGarcia Garcia, eld seven degrees inPalo Monte.From is Yoruba reat-grandfathersGarcia Villamilnherited set of sacred batadrums nd was initiated s their aretaker.skilleddrum maker, e also creates exquisitelybeaded ceremonial bjects and cloth bannersthat present he ideographicwriting f hisreligious radition. nCuba, Garcia Villamilbecame a member f the all-male ociety,Abakua, hat brought he drums, beats, andcostumes ofCalabar, Nigeria, o the island. Hefounded he folkloric roup Emikeke, ervingas musical director,musician, nd teacher.Garcia Villamilmigrated o the United Statesn 1980and currently ives n the Bronx. Heperforms nd teaches at many ducationalinstitutions, ncluding he American Museum fNaturalHistory, olumbiaUniversity,heCaribbean Cultural enter, nd Yale University.



10/13


Kongo-Cuban Altar o Lucero Mundo,Francisco Siete Rayos, and Comisi6n IndiaDesignedand installed y Jose BediaofHavana,Cuba.

Jose Bediawas initiated nto Palo Monte nHavana.Toconceal his faith he created an altarwhichhe hid na laundry amper. he altar n

Face f the Gods s similar o the one inHavana ndesign and proportions. entral sLuceroMundo, descendant f the nkisinkondi,witha nailed ooked tick of power,cross honoringGodAlmighty, nd a seashell forlong ifeand the soul's eternal ourney. t eft sthe spiritFrancisco iete Rayos; t right sComisi6n ndia. The paintings n the backdropportray he two worlds: ightand day, heancestors and the living.

Jose Bedia

JoseBedia s a Cuban-born

ainterwho has

exhibited hroughout urope,LatinAmerica,and the United States. He studied at the Schoolof Art nSan Alejandro nd the SuperiorInstitute f Art n Havana before moving oMiami.Hisworkshang nthe permanentcollections f the PhiladelphiaMuseum f Art,the Arkansas ArtCenter, he Museo de BellesArtes nCaracas, and the Centro Cultural/ArteContemporaneo n MexicoCity, mong others.Bedia s an active participant n the Palo Montetradition, creole mixof the ancient raditionsof Kongoand Spanish Catholicism, ndcontributed n altar eflecting is Afro-Cubanspiritual evelopment nd heritage. When(RobertFarris) hompson aw the personalaltar t my home, he asked me to make one forthe show. Normally eople have onlyone altarfor personal itual, o the one I am creating nNewYorkwillbe a replica. 'll onstruct he altarin a corner pace, a crossroads, where wowallsmeet; on the one side I'llpaint he daywith he sun and on the other ide the moonwith he stars-a cosmogram. On the floor willbe a brick riangle illedwith arth representinga garden, and on top of it rests the LuceroMundo, n this case a large seashell, withabundle of healing medicines nside, surroundedby broken branches.



11/13

FUSION FAITHS

Afro-Atlantic altars often form a locus ofhealing and moral reckoning. The altars inthis section demonstrate the creativefusion of symbols inspired by Yoruba andKongo art in the Western Hemisphere. A

Yoruba-Brazilian altar to Omo-Olu, thedeity of pestilence-now associated withprotection from AIDS-combines piercedearthenware bowls symbolizing spots andskin eruptions with wrought-iron staffs tohonor Osanyin, the Yoruba god of herbalhealing (right). Omo-Olu uses the threatof disease to provoke peoples' social con-science. Symbolically spotted things-ses-ame candy, perforated pottery, speckledguinea hen feathers, and brain coral-areemployed as morally intimidating signs ofinfections and disease. The ultimate cre-olization of healing arts is an Umbandaaltar devoted to charity and mental heal-

ing. It brings together saints, feathers, can-dles, and cosmograms to form a syncreticmix of Yoruba, Kongo, Catholic, andAmerindian power, medicine, and prac-tices (next page). PHOTO: JERRY L THOMPSON, COURTESY OF THE MUSEUM FOR AFRICAN ART

Omo-OIuAltarDesignedand nstalled yPai Balbino Danielde Paula) f Salvador, ahia, Brazil.Executedby Balbino, nailtonMauricio a Conceigdo, ndEneidaAssunq&o anches. Metalwork yJoseAdario os Santos of Salvador; heminiature traw mage of Omo-Olu center back)by Dentinha e Xang6of the terreiro temple) ie6AxeOp6Aganju nSalvador.

Omo-Olu Child f the Lord )s one of themanyaliases of Obaluaiye, nd s the namecommonly sed in Brazil.Omo-Olu ow acklesthe horror f AIDS; he pots resting n theirsides at the foot of the altar re dedicated othose who have died.Customarily, omenplacetheirown pottery ase for he deity's presenceon the left side of his altar. Menplace heirofferings n the right-hand ide. Ajeredishes,symbolically erforated, re set upside down.The underlying owlcontains stone forOmo-Olu. ird-topped rought-iron taffs,attributes f Osanyin, he deityof healing,provide ope for he future nd the prayer hata cure or AIDSwill oon be found.

BalbinoDanielde PaulaBabalorisha albino Danielde Paula was bornat Ponta de Areia n the island of Itaparica,Salvador, razil.He comes from family fpractitioners f the Candomble eligionnBrazil, nd was himself nitiated yMaeSenhora, famous priestess n Bahia.Balbinois a priest of Shango and the head of theCandomble erreirolie6 x6Op6 Aganju. n

Nigeria e received he titles of Mobangunleand Alade, and was confirmed s Obaxoru nthe terreiro f Baba Egunon Itaparica. albinohas been the subject of international cholarlyand popular writings nd has been featured nmany ilms, ncludingBrasileiros a Africa:Africanos e Brasil y PierreVerger, TheOrishaTradition yAngela Fontanes, nd lie AiyebyDavidByrne.

african rts * winter 995 59


12/13

Umbanda AltarDesignedbyAmiraLepore f Riode Janeiro,Brazil, nd Queens, NewYork.Constructed yDanielLepore,EduardoMonaco,AmadeuMenuzzo, ndAurelioMenuzzo.

Charity s essential o Umbanda. n his altar,designed by a ranking mbanda riestess, hedeities n the Yoruba antheon, ow nthe guiseof Catholic aints, have gathered n andaround table n a tribute o the charitablehuman pirit nd the art of healing.Hues of bluetranslate he domain f ocean into he sky,honoringYemanja Brazilian pelling f Yemoja),the goddess of the waters, who appears withpalms extended na framed mageon the wall.Oxala/Jesus Oxala s the BrazilianObatBla) scentral mong he orixa/saints. baluaiye(Omo-Olu) as become Saint Lazarus, iswounds associated with he signs ofdisease.Exu Eshu) s represented nthree orms: hat ofa horned evil,a suave man n a zoot suit, anda charmingly oquacious ailor.

AmiraLeporeFor he last wenty-nine ears AmiraLeporehas been an active Umbanda ractitioner. hefounded her own spiritual ouse in Brazil, swellas the Foundation madeu Bricangao,named after her father.The Foundationsupports he work f dentists and doctors whogive free noculations nd other medicalservices to the poor people of Rio.Leporewashonored orher good works n 1987 by theBrazilian overnment s a Carioca Citizen ndwas given he Pedro Hernestomedal, an honorshe shares with he Pope. She is now writingfive-volume ork alled Force of the Spirits orthe Brazilian ublisherEditora bril.While ertemple s stillmaintained n Brazil, n 1988Lepore elocated o Queens, NewYork, ndopened the firstUmbanda emple n the U.S.on April 5, 1992. Each Friday ight,over 200people attend her sessions duringwhich hereceives he spiritsZ6Pelintra nd Dr.AdolfFritz. he well-known razilian agazineManchete as featured er successes, and herfollowingn the United States s growing.


60african rts winter 995


13/13

PHOTO JERRY L THOMPSON. COURTESY OF THE MUSEUM FOR AFRICAN ART

THE ULTIMATE ALTAR:THE ATLANTIC OCEAN

Addressing he Atlantic Oceanas a vastaltar of YemanjA, razilian-Yoruba od-dess of the waters nd abundance, hou-sands of the faithful o to Copacabana,Ipanema, nd other beaches of Rio onNew Year's ve.There heyaskher bless-ing for the coming year, and dedicatealtars o Oxum goddess flove)and Ibeji(twin spirits). omehold floral offeringsaloft ike banners, aya prayer, henhurlthem nto the sea. Others arve out cavi-ties in the sand and light candleswithinthese wind-protected paces,often add-ingwhiteroses themostperfect f flow-

ers )and champagne the oam of herocean ), until by midnight the beachblazeswith twinklingminiature ltars sfaras theeyecansee.Associated ith heriseof Umbanda n the '20s and '30s,Riobeach ltars epresent nexplosion f cul-tural improvisation nd dramatize heongoing wentieth-centuryusionofAfri-can,Christian, ndAmerindian consandideology. heaesthetic reativity ypifiedby this rich blend of iconographies asgiven spiritual nd moral ustenance oAfricans n theAmericas orcenturies.

PHOTO C DANIEL DAWSON

winter 995 61

robert farris thompson - face of the gods: art and altars of africa and the african america

Documents