Nataša Njegovanoviæ Ristiæ

JUŽNO OD SAHAREFotografije Marli Šamir

SOUTH OF THE SAHARAPhotographs by Marli Shamir

MUZEJ AFRIÈKE UMETNOSTITHE MUSEUM OF AFRICAN ART

ahvaljujuæi angažovanju gospodina Dragoljuba Najmana, jugoslovenskog ambasadora pri ZUNESCO-u, Muzej afrièke umetnosti je od

Meðunarodnog fonda za razvoj kulture UNESCO-a dobio na poklon dragocenu kolekciju originalnih umetnièko-dokumentarnih fotografija o Africi, eminentne izraelske fotografkinje Marli Šamir. Kolekcija je poklonjena 1980. godine kada je prire-ðena i prva izložba pod nazivom “Južno od Sahare”, povodom zasedanja 21. Generalne konferencije UNESCO-a u Beogradu. Izložba je imala izuzetnu recepciju kulturne javnosti Beograda, ali i uèesnika Konferencije i samog predsednika UNESCO-a, gospodina Amadu Mahtar M Bo-a.

Kolekcija fotografija Marli Šamir sadrži sedam-deset i sedam fotografija kaširanih na limenim ploèama od kojih su sedamdest i jedna izraðene u velièini 50x60 cm. dok su šest u formatu 30x40 cm. Snimljene u crno-beloj tehnici fotografije na izuze-tan naèin prikazuju jedan deo afrièkog kontinenta – Sahel, sa svim njegovim specifiènim geografskim, istorijskim, demografskim i kulturnim obeležjima. Tokom boravka u ovom delu Afrike, u periodu izmeðu 1968. i 1973.godine, Marli Šamir je pasioni-rano snimala predele, ljude, zemljoradnike, stoèare, predmete svakodnevnog i kultnog karaktera.

t was thanks to the involvement of Yugoslav Ambassador at UNESCO, Mr Dragoljub INayman that The Museum of African Art in

Belgrade received from the International Fund for Cultural Development (UNESCO) a valuable collection of original art and documentary photographs of Africa taken by eminent Israeli photographer Marli Shamir. The collection was bequeathed in 1980 when the first exhibition under the title South of the Sahara was organised on the occasion of the 21 General Conference of UNESCO in Belgrade. The exhibition was enthusiastically received by the cultural public sector of Belgrade, the participants in the Conference and the president of UNESCO himself, Mr Amadou Machtar Bo.

The collection of Marli Shamir's photographs holds 77 stills reproduced on tin plates from which 71 were developed in the 50x60 cm format and 6 in the 30x40 format. Originally black and white photographs, they show one part of the African continent – the Sahel with all its specific geographical, historical, demographic and cultural traits. During her stay in Africa between 1968 and 1973 Marli Shamir passionately dedicated herself to photographing the landscapes, people, farmers, shepherds, objects of everyday use and those of a

UVOD INTRODUCTION

Posebnu pažnju posvetila je snimanju arhitekture, profanih i sakralnih urbanih i seoskih zdanja graðenih od blata, specifikuma Sahela. Iz bogate biografije ove umetnice može se zakljuèiti da je arhitektura, od samih poèetaka bavljenja fotografi-jom, u fokusu njenih interesovanja i njenog umetni-èkog senzibiliteta. Otuda ne èudi što je i arhitektura Sahela precizno odabrana i što, pored prepoznatlji-vog umetnièkog rukopisa, nosi sve odlike brižljivo zapisanog dokumenta, koji danas, posle èetdeset godina, predstavlja izuzetno važan vizuelni podatak ne samo za gradove toga podruèja, veæ i za sve potonje istraživaèe Afrike i afrièkog stvarala-štva.Takoðe, ne treba zaboraviti ogroman znaèaj fotografija èija tematika prikazuje animistièke obre-de koji su praktikovani kod naroda Dogon, Bamana i Malinke. Veæ u vreme boravka Marli Šamir u Maliju,stara religijska praksa polako gubi znaèaj koji je imala u prošlosti. U novije vreme animizam i animistièki obredi opstali su u udaljenijim i zabaèe-nijim ruralnim sredinama, dok se u selima skoncen-trisanim oko gradova ovi obièaji manifestuju kao deo folklora i namenjeni su, uglavnom, lokalnoj zabavi i turistima. Ako prihvatimo formulaciju Ješe Denegrija da “je istina da fotografska predstava u najveæem broju sluèajeva nosi osobine „objektiv-nosti“ (ako pod tim podrazumevamo prepoznatlji-vost realnih pojava i predmeta)“, onda bi snimke Marli Šamir mogli smatrati objektivnim stanjem postojeæih praksi toga vremena.

Fotografije Marli Šamir, kao i fotografije drugih fotografa i istraživaèa afrièke umetnosti koji su delovali na terenu tokom dvadesetog veka, publiko-vane su u brojnim knjigama, katalozima, publikaci-jama i èasopisima koji se bave izuèavanjem afrièke umetnosti i afrièkog stvaralaštva. Na hiljade crno-belih i kolor fotografija koje prate nauène tekstove poseduju vitalnu ulogu u vizuelnom preseku odre-ðenog trenutka i samim tim pružaju sveobuhvatnije pojašnjenje i razumevanje odreðene problematike.

sacred character. She paid special attention to taking photographs of the architecture, profane and sacred, urban and village buildings made of mud, which are a specific trait of the Sahel. The rich biography of this artist reveals that from her early days, she focused her interest and artistic sensibilities towards architecture. Therefore it comes as no surprise that the architecture of the Sahel is carefully selected and besides reflecting her recognisable artistic signature, they also carry all the characteristics of a carefully collected document which today, forty years later, represents an extremely valuable visual source of information not only of the cities of this region, but also all for all later researchers of Africa and African creativity. The value and importance of the photographs depicting animistic rituals practiced by the Dogon, Bamana and Malinke should also be given due credit. At the time of Marli Shamir's stay in Africa the old religious practices already started losing the importance they held in the past. In more recent times animism and animistic rites are to be found in remote areas; on the other hand these practices also occur in villages surrounding larger urban spaces as part of the folklore and are conducted at times of celebration and for the sake of tourists. From the viewpoint of Jesha Denegri that: “it is for the most part true that the photographed image in most cases carries the traits of objectivity (in regard to the recognisability of real phenomena and objects)”, then the photographs of Marli Shamir may be considered to be the objective state of existing practices of the time.

The photographs of Marli Shamir and those of other photographers and explorers of African art that worked in the field throughout the 20th century have been published in numerous books, catalogues, publications and magazines that are dedicated to exploring the arts of Africa and African creativity. The thousands of black and white and colour photographs that accompany scientific

Priroda fotografije kao umetnièkog rada i kao dokumentarnog zapisa predstavlja formu za sebe, ali i formu koja daje uvid u trenutno stanje odreðenih pojava, u ovom sluèaju afrièke umetnosti, a njena snaga, po Suzan Sontag, leži u tome što ostavlja moguænost preispitivanja trenutka koji se u vizue-lnom protoku vremena zamenjuje drugim.

Fotografije Marli Šamir iz ciklusa “Sahel” koje se nalaze u Muzeju afrièke umetnosti predstavljaju najznaèajniji segment muzejskog foto arhiva, jer upravo u protoku vremena i realnih promena na terenu, one postaju sve dragocenija dopuna u prouèavanju, eksplikaciji i prezentaciji odreðenih muzejskih predmeta i regiona iz koga potièu.

Nataša Njegovanoviæ-Ristiæ

papers play a vital role in the visual analysis of certain moments in time and therefore offer a more whole-some explanation and understanding of certain issues. The nature of photography as a work of art and documentary source is a form in itself and at the same time a form that reveals the actual state of certain phenomena caught in the moment, in this case African art. The power of photography, according to Susan Sontag, can be found in the fact that it offers the possibility of reconsidering the moment which in the natural flow of time is replaced by the other.

The photographs of Marli Shamir from the “Sahel” series that at the Museum of African Art are one of the most important segments of the Museum's photo archive for it is with the passing of time and real changes in the field that they become ever more valuable assets in the process of researching, explaining and presenting certain museum artefacts and the region they come from.

Nataša Njegovanoviæ Ristiæ

Sl. 1. Predah u hladovini, Hombori Fig. 1. Taking a break in the shade, Hombori

olekcija fotografija Marli Šamir predstavlja zaokruženu tematsku celinu i pruža impre-K

sivnu sliku jednog dela zapadne Afrike, prikazujuæi arhitekturu, pejsaže, tradicionalan naèin života, privredu, zanatstvo i umetnost. Iako su u najveæem broju snimci naèinjeni u Maliju, njihova tematika obuhvata srodnu, mnogo širu oblast, zapravo èitav pojas koji se pruža ispod Sahare do tropskih šuma i od Senegala do jezera Èad. U odnosu na severnu Afriku i tropsku Afriku, oblast Sahela (arapski Sahil-granica ili obala Sahare) èini posebno podruèje sa specifiènim privrednim, kulturnim i etnièkim odli-kama. U geografskom pogledu to su oblasti koje zahvataju iviènu liniju pustinje, a zatim prostrane travne oblasti savane sa žbunjem i retkim drveæem. (Sl. 1) Bez dovoljno atmosferskih padavina, do 30 cm. kiše godišnje, ova oblast je èesto izložena suši i njenim teškim posledicama. U Sahelu se razlikuju tri godišnja doba: suvi period-od polovine ferbruara do polovine maja, kada duva suvi vetar, harmatan, koji donosi pesak iz pustinje; kišni period-od polovine maja do polovine novembra, vreme jugozapadnog monsunskog vetra, i hladni period od polovine novembra do polovine februara-doba koje bi kalendarski odgovaralo našoj zimi, naravno sa daleko višim temperaturama. No, u ovim dosta nepovoljnim uslovima egzistenciju ljudi olakšava

SAHEL THE SAHEL

he collection of photographs by Marli Shamir forms a complete thematic unit and offers an T

impressive picture of a part of West Africa by presenting its architecture, landscape, traditional way of life, economy, crafts and art. Although most of the photos were taken in Mali, the themes they cover encompass the related, much larger area that spreads below the Sahara and reaches the tropical forests and on the other hand, spreads from Senegal to Lake Chad. In comparison to North Africa and tropical Africa, the Sahel region (Sahil, in Arabic, means boundary or the coast of the Sahara) forms a unique area with specific economic, cultural and ethnic traits. In geographical terms, these are areas bordering the desert, with expansive savannah grasslands, shrubs and rare trees. (Fig. 1) Devoid of sufficient precipitation (up to 30 cm per annum) this area is often exposed to draughts and its brutal aftermath. There are three distinctive seasons that can be recognised in the Sahel: the dry season – from mid-February to mid-May, when the dry harmattan wind blows bringing sand from the desert; the rainy season – from mid-May to mid-November, the time of the south-western monsoon wind and finally, the cool period starting in mid-November – parallel to our calendar winter, however with much higher temperatures. In these harsh conditions, people's

Sl. 1. Minaret Velike džamije, Ðene Fig. 1. The Great Mosque minaret, Djenné

ARHITEKTURASAHELA

ARCHITECTUREOF THE SAHEL

olekcija »Južno od Sahare« sadrži znatan broj fotografija na kojima su snimljena sakralna i K

profana arhitektonska zdanja specifiènog i prepo-znatljivog sudansko sahelskog stila. Džamije, stambene kuæe, ulice u gradovima kao što su Tim-buktu, Ðene, Gao, Mopti i drugi, imaju svoju osnovu u srednjovekovnim državama i znaèajnoj trgovini koja je u to vreme bila veoma razvijena i koja se odvijala izmeðu ovog dela Afrike, Mediterana, Evrope i Azije. Trgovina kroz Saharu uspostavljena još u treæem veku pre nove ere odvijala se iz Sudana ka severu, do Kartagine. Zbog sve neprohodnijeg terena protok ljudi i životinja bio je pretežak za intenzivnu trgovinu. Tek pojavom kamile na afrièkom kontinetnu (500. godine pre nove), jedine životinje koja je mogla da preðe ovaj neprohodni teren, trgovina se intenzivirala u oba smera. Tada je izgraðena mreža karavanskih puteva, a neki od njih su zadobili veliki znaèaj i mogli bi da se uporede sa „putem svile“ u srednjoj Aziji ili sa „putem tamjana“

1u jugozapadnoj Arabiji. Upravo su najznaèajniji putevi vodili do ovih gradova koji su vekovima važili kao glavne stanice i tržnice za mnoge karavane koji su dalazili sa severa, donoseæi dragocenu so, tkanine, srebro, bakar, perle i drugu robu u zamenu

he “South of the Sahara” collection contains a number of photographs that portray sacred T

and everyday architectural structures of the specific and recognisable Sudan-Sahel architectural style. Mosques, living quarters, streets in cities such as Timbuktu, Djenné, Gao, Mopti and others, have their basis in medieval states and commerce that was extremely developed at the time, and which was conducted between this part of Africa, the Mediterranean, Europe and Asia. Trade through the Sahara established as early as the third century BC was routed from the Sahel to the north, to Carthage. Due to the rough terrains the flow of people and animals was extremely difficult. It was only with the appearance of the camel (in 500 BC), the only animal that was capable of surmounting this rough ground that commerce intensified in both directi-ons. This resulted in a network of caravan routes, with an importance that could be measured with, for instance, the Silk Road in middle Asia, or the Fran-kincense Road in south-western Arabia.¹ The most important roads were to lead to these towns that were for centuries thought of as the main stops and markets for many caravans coming from the north, bringing salt, cloths, silver, brass, beads and other

Sl. 1. Zantegeiba, maska Bamana Fig. 1. Zantegeiba, Bamana mask

MASKE MASKS

Maske Bamana

ticaji Arapa i islama dominantni su u Sahelu Uveæ mnogo vekova ali izvesni elementi kulture zadržali su svoje originalne oblike vezane za animistièku religiju posebno kod zemljoradnièkih naroda, kao sto su narodi Bamana ili Bambara i Dogon ili Hambe, koji su poznati i po svojim izuzetno vrednim umetnièkim delima. Zapravo, zapadna Afrika i podruèje Konga su oblasti poznate po skulpturalnoj umetnosti izraženoj, pre svega u drvetu, sa mnogobrojnim maskama, figurama predaka i drugim kultnim predmetima po kojima je afrièka umetnost stekla slavu i obogatila svetsku umetnost. (sl.1)

Maska je nastala iz najdubljih èovekovih potreba i vekovima je bila instrument kojima je on izražavao verovanja, mitove, istorijsku prošlost, strahove i nadanja vezane za egzistenciju. Od paleolita do danas, maske su izraðivane na svim kontinentima i skoro kod svih naroda sveta. U politeistièkim, ani-mistièkim i totemistièkim zajednicama maska je imala više namena i više znaèenja, prevashodno versko-magijski karakter. Izraðivane su i nošene u ceremonijama koje slave mnoga božanstva, mitska

Bamana Masks

ver the centuries, Arab and Islamic influences Ohave been dominant in the Sahel however certain animistic cultural elements have retained their original forms especially among agricultural peoples such as the Bamana, or Bambara and the Dogon or Hambe who are well known for their extremely valuable pieces of art. In fact, West Africa and the Congo region are famous for their sculptural art especially in wood, with numerous masks, ance-stral figures and other cult objects that have cele-brated African art and enriched world art. (Fig. 1)

The mask was created out of the most profound human needs and has for centuries been an instru-ment expressing belief, myths, historical past and existential fears and yearnings. Since the Paleolithic to the present day, masks have been made across the continents, among almost all peoples of the world. In polytheistic, animistic and totemistic societies the mask had numerous uses and meanings, primarily of a magico-religious character. They were made and worn in ceremonies which honour many deities, mythical beings, mythic heroes, spirits and spiritual forces. They were the inevitable props in cults of the

zajedno sa drugim igraèem koji nosi žensku masku krene u polje, meðu zemljoradnike za koje æe igrati. Igra se sastojala od visokih skokova (imitacija antilopinih skokova) i dubokih naklona ka zemlji (imitacija obrade zemlje) i trajala je ceo dan, sve do veèernjih sati. Sa seoskog trga ispraæaju ih bubnjari, seljani koji ne pripadaju društvu Ði-Vara i deca koji æe ih po povratku doèekati, kada æe zajedno sa zemljoadnicima nastaviti drugi deo ceremonije.

Druge dve fotografije prikazuju masku horizon-talnog tipa i bubnjeve koji se pripremaju za cere-moniju Ði-Vara. (sl.5)

Maske Dogona

umetnosti Dogona govori i izvestan broj Ofotografija Marli Šamir i izuzetno vredna kolekcija od šezdeset i pet predmeta Muzeja afrièke umetnosti. Zahvaljujuæi francuskim nauènicima, pre svega Marselu Griolu, kao i najnovijim arheo-loškim istraživanjima, o životu, kulturi i umetnosti Dogona imamo dragocene podatke. Sva ova istraži-vanja pokazuju da je celokupna tradicionalna kul-tura Dogona u èvrstoj vezi sa mitologijom i kosmo-logijom, te je za razumevanje njihove umetnosti neophodno poznavanje dogonskog mita o stvaranju sveta.

Narod Dogon živi u relativno siromašnoj i neplodnoj oblasti Malija na južnoj ivici saharske pustinje. Reka Niger, koja ovde èini veliku okuku, usmeravajuæi svoj tok prema jugu, a nizovi masivnih planina sa stenovitim visoravnima, èine prirodnu zaštitu dogonskih naselja, èiji su stanovnici sve do poèetka 20. veka uspešno odolevali znatnijim uticajima spoljne sredine, posebno islamizaciji. (sl.1)

Danas su Dogoni, kao i veæina drugih etnièkih

Marli Shamir's photographs that show examples of the vertical and horizontal type were taken at the same time the Pechar's were making their collection. The camera caught only one costumed dancer with a male mask on the crown of his head, squatting with a staff in his right hand. He is preparing himself to join the other dancer wearing female mask who are in the fields; he is surrounded by farmers for who they will dance. The dance consisted of high leaps (imitating those of the antelope) and deep squats towards the ground (imitating field work) and lasted all day long and into the night. They were followed from the village square by drummers, peasants not belonging to the Chi Wara association and children that would welcome them back, upon which the second part of the ceremony would continue along with the tillers.

The other two photographs show the horizontal mask and drums, being prepared for the Chi Wara ceremony. (Fig. 5)

Dogon masks

number of photographs by Marli Shamir tell Aus about the art of the Dogon as does the extremely valuable collection of sixty-five objects at the Museum of African Art. Due to the research conducted by French scientists, particularly Marcel Griaule and supported by the latest archaeological research we have valuable information about the life, culture and art of the Dogon. All these studies show that the entire traditional culture of the Dogon is firmly connection to mythology and cosmology and in order to understand their art it is necessary to go into the Dogon creation myth.

The Dogon people live in a relatively poor and barren part of Mali on the southern edge of the Sahara desert. The Niger River makes a sharp turn at

Sl. 8. Igraèi sa maskom Kanaga, Sangi Fig. 8. Dancers with Kanaga mask, Sangha

KERAMIKA CERAMIC ART

životu naroda zapadne Afrike grnèarstvo je ne samo opšte rasprostranjena zanatska produk-U

cija veæ i znaèajna umetnièka delatnost. U ovoj sredini tradicionalno grnèarstvo još uvek ima važnu primenu kako u ruralnim tako i u urbanim sredi-nama, koje i pored industrijskog posuða i dalje koriste sudove i druge predmete od gline raðene na isti naèin kao u prošlosti. (sl. 1)

Modelovane glinene glave i figure koje su izraði-vali brojni afrièki narodi tokom èitava dva mileni-juma svedoèanstvo su duge tradicije grnèarstva, ali i izuzetno važna artefakta u sagledavanju afrièkog stvaralaštva uopšte. S obzirom na to da plastika u drvetu ima ogranièen vek trajanja, kao i èinjenica da Afrikanci nisu imali pismo i da je malo saèuvanih pisanih izvora, keramika, kao i predmeti od metala -materijali koji su mogli da opstanu vekovima - daju uvid u nastanak i razvoj afrièke umetnosti. Stilske analogije novijeg afrièkog stvaralaštva sa predme-tima iz daleke prošlosti pružaju neosporne dokaze autohtonog razvoja afrièke umetnosti, koja je sve do otkriæa Nok kulture (datovana na prvi vek pre nove

1ere) bila osporavana.Najstariji materijalni dokazi u razvoju afrièkog

stvaralaštva ujedno su i svedoèanstva o visokom stupnju zanatskog umeæa i jednoj razvijenoj ume-tnièkoj praksi koja ne zaostaje za delima drugih

mong African peoples, pottery is not only a widely spread craftsmanship but also an A

important form of art. Traditional pottery is still regularly practiced in both rural and urban environments where vessels and other objects modelled from clay in the same manner as they were made in the passed, are still in use side by side with industrially made ware. (Fig. 1)

Modelled clay heads and figures made by numerous African peoples throughout two millennia stand as testimony of the long tradition of pottery and at the same time are very important artefacts in reviewing African creativity in general. Based on the fact that sculpture in wood is of a temporary nature, along with the fact that Africans did not own a writing system and that there are few preserved written sources, ceramic art and objects made from metal – as materials that can be preserved for centuries – offer insight into the beginnings and development of African art. Stylistic analogies of current African creativity with objects from the distant past offer proof of the autochthonous development of African art, which was disputed

1 until the Nok findings (dating the 1. century B.C.).The oldest material evidence when regarding the

development of African creativity are a testimony to the advanced craftsmanship and a highly developed

utvrðen je i na novijim lokalitetima. Nalazišta u Maliju, locirana izmeðu gradova Ðenea i Moptija pružaju nove podatke o ritualnoj keramici. Prona-ðeni fragmenti glava i statueta polagani su u grobove direktno ili su stavljani u velike urne zajedno sa pokojnikom. Èinjenica da su modelovane glinene glave-portreti i velike figure raðene u dugom vremenskom rasponu kod mnogih naroda, govori u prilog tezi da je afrièka umetnost južno od Sahare

2stvarana u kontinutetu dugom dve hiljade godina.Tradicionalna izrada keramike na podruèju

južno od Sahare podrazumevala je ruèno modelo-

funerary ceremonies and rested in graves alongside the deceased member of the community. This burial practice has been confirmed by more recent archaeological sites. Sites in Mali, located between Djenné and Mopti offer new data on ritual ceramics. The fragments of sculpted heads and statues were placed in graves directly or in large urns beside the deceased. The fact that modelled clay head-portraits and large sculptures were made over a long time span among numerous people goes in favour of the presumption that African art south of the Sahara has

2been created in continuity over two thousand years.

Sl. 3. Æup sa reljefnom dekoracijom, Safara Fig. 3. Pot with decorative relief, Safara

Sl. 1. Tkaè Fig. 1. Weaver

TKANINEBOGOLANFINI

BOGOLANFINITEXTILES

naèajan vid tradicionalnog stvaralaštva u Africi ostvaren je na tkaninama, posebno na onima Z

koje su korišæene u religioznim, društvenim, dvorskim i drugim sveèanostima. Na njima, su razlièitim tehnikama, prikazani antopomorfni, zoomorfni ili geometrijski crteži koji su imali ulogu da informišu, da likovnim jezikom uspostave komunikaciju izmeðu pojedinca i zajednice. S obzi-rom na to da u prošlosti Afrika nije imala svoje pismo, likovni sadržaj na tekstilu ili skulptoralnoj formi èesto je zamenjivao pisanu reè. Veliku pažnju koju su afrièki tkaèi pridavali tkanju i oslikavanju ogleda se u finoæi i raznovrsnosti materijala koje su koristili, kao i u obilju dekorativnih elemenata. U prošlosti je izraðivan tekstil sa jednostavnim geome-trijskim motivima i odevni tekstil sa slobodno odabranim dizajnom - razlièitim od tkanina name-njenih za odreðene ritualne potrebe. Na njima su likovnim motivima isprièani mitovi, duhovi i duho-vne sile, razna božanstva, važni istorijski dogaðaji, plemenski heroji, kraljevi i kraljevske loze, sveuku-pno najznaèajnije religiozne i društvene teme. Upravo zbog znaèaja i snažne simblike tekstil su tkali i ukrašavali majstori koji su uživali poseban ugled u zajednici, a njihovo umeæe se veoma cenilo i slavilo. Koliki se znaèaj pridavao tkanju sagledava se u

n important aspect of traditional art in Africa is achieved in textiles, especially those used in A

religious, social, court and other ceremonies. They depict, in different techniques, anthropomorphic, zoomorphic, or geometric drawings that were used to inform and which formed a graphic communication system between the individual and the community. Baring in mind that there was no written language in Africa, the graphic content of the textile or sculptural form often substituted the written word. The dedication of the African weaver to his craft is mirrored in the quality and variety of materials used and in the number of decorative elements as well. In the past, textiles had simple geometric patterns and clothing textiles demonstra-ted casually chosen patterns – different to the textiles intended for specific ritual use. These displayed the graphical retelling of myths, images of spirits and spirit forces, different deities, important historical events, clan heroes, kings and royal lineage – all in all the most important religious and social themes. Because of their importance and symbolic power, textiles were woven and decorated by master crafters who were highly respected in their communities and their craft admired and honoured. The importance of weaving is expressed in Dogon mythology