Galerie Ezakwantu

African Art       Franschhoek South Africa       Tribal Art

 

 

Central and Southern African Tribal Art

 

 

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Masks / Masques

Neck Rests

Headdresses

 Spoons / Ladles 

Status Objects

Thrones / Stools

 

Tribal Weapons

Wooden Vessels

Figures

Contemporary

Hair Ornaments

Adornment

Miscellaneous

Beer -Wine Cups

 

Musical Instruments

 

Zulu Imbenge

 

Pipes - Snuff Bottles - Snuff Spoons

 

Dolls

 

Clay Pots

 

 

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Miscellaneous African Objects

 

 

 

Benin Carved Plaques

 

Circa 1920 - 1930 (or earlier)

 

 

The Kingdom of Benin had a long history of peaceful relations with European nations. Many early Portuguese, Dutch and British visitors expressed admiration the civilization.

 

 

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However in 1897, the British launched a "Punitive Expedition" to attack Benin City. They deposed of the Oba of Benin, looted the collection of unique art works in Bronze and ivory that had adorned the palace, then burned it to the ground. Many of the military officers kept private collections of objects, whilst the foreign office auctioned off considerable quantities to offset the cost of the adventure. Many objects found their way to museums in Europe and America. The premier collection of Benin art treasures is today held at the Museum of Mankind in London.

 

Our plaques fascinate and were carved by the hand of a master. They have an acquired deep patina. If not plaques, they may have been small table tops. The example above measures 35 x 36 cms, or 13.8 x 14.2 inches. The example below measures 29 x 40 cms or 11.4 x 15.7 inches.

 

We estimate their age to be early 20th century, but may very well prove earlier.

 

Omada carvers were making prestige objects including plaques, rectangular wood cola nut boxes, stools, tables, chairs, beams and door panels, prior to the 19th century. Animals were symbols of deities or cults. Some represent the power of the Oba (King). The objects from Benin in the Museum of Mankind feature images of fish, snakes, leopards, and crocodiles. They are not only found on plaques, but appear on bracelets and other objects.

 

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In Benin cosmology, the leopard is a symbol of royal power. At one time leopards were sacrificed to ensure the well-being of the kingdom. In the seventeenth century the Oba kept tame leopards that he led about in chains when he paraded through the city. This showed his power and domination over the ‘King of the Bush’.

 

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African currency medicinal clyster grass fibre Zulu baskets artefact artifact vintage artefacts vintage Ken Karner artefact Zaire, artifacts fibre baskets

 

Mbole Currency Fabric  - DRC - Congo

 

(Bambole)

 

 

These woven panels date to the first portion of the 20th century and are extremely rare in collections. Each has an individual design, said to characterize the original owner.

 

 

The Mbole live on the left bank of the Zaire River, in the heart of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The name Mbole, is derived from their position, meaning "the people from downstream".

 

 

 

During the 18th century, the Mbole migrated to this forest region from north of the Lualaba River. Politically each Mbole village is autonomous, headed by a chief chosen from the elders of each family.

 

The women of the tribe are involved mainly in cultivating manioc and rice while the men hunt.

 

 

Lilwa (libwe), a graded men's organization, dominates Mbole life. It supervises ritual, educational, judicial, social, political, and economic functions.

 

 

 

Boys of seven to twelve years old are isolated in the forest for circumcision and initiation, undergoing ritual purification and proving themselves through ordeals and fasting. The head of the lilwa society, known as Isoya, is so important that he is buried in a tree.

 

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Zulu Basketry

 

South Africa\

 

Zulu baskets were once an integral part of Zulu tradition and custom. Decorative beer baskets were made for special events and purposes such as marriages, harvest, fertility, birth and as gifts to family or special friends. They were made of grass and palm leafs, bound and stitched by hand. The natural color of the palm is beige. All the other colors were created from natural dyes such as bark, berries, leaves, clay, roots, dung, or any combinations of these.

 

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A HUGE Zulu Basket by May Zulu  - This example is offered with a stand.

 

 

 

Master Weaver Beauty Ngxongo

 

 

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Another HUGE Zulu Basket by Phethelephi Mhlungu, construed to hang on the wall.

 

 

 

Zulu basketry almost died out with the introduction of enamel, tin and plastic utensils.

 

 

Click this thumb to view a short article on Zulu basketry.

 

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Ba Tonka Hut Door

 

Zambia - Zimbabwe

 

 

Ba Tonka Hut photographed in Zimbabwe - 1991

 

The Ba Tonka or Batonga presently live on both sides of Lake Kariba. Their hut doors were traditionally made from a tree which grew along the banks of the Zambezi river. In 1960 the Kariba dam was completed, making it at the time, the largest man made dam ever built. The Batonka were relocated away from the flooding valleys where they had lived and fished for centuries. With them they took their doors. As such, all original doors date prior to 1960.

 

Click Thumbnails for Larger Images AFTER Page FULLY Loads

 

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This is one of the largest Ba Tonka doors known. It measures 58 x 158 cms, or 22 x 62 inches and takes two grown men to lift it. (without the stand, say 3 with)

 

The reddened friction point of the upper attachment rod shows patina of use dating back up to 100 years. If so, the surface decoration would have been applied long after.

 

The door is sold with it's custom made 10 mm steel stand.

 

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Enjoy the images of other doors seen in the early 1990's.

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Kuba Medicinal Clyster - Congo

 

 

     

 

This old clyster has a patina of great use together with stunning form.

 

 

 

This food bowl demonstrates how a clyster is used and underlines how widespread its tribal use.

 

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Coco de Mer

 

The Forbidden Fruit

 

 

 

 

Long ago, voyagers in the Indian Ocean chanced upon a large, floating object of mysterious origin. Its suggestive feminine shape launched many a sailor's fantasy. Some believed this was the forbidden fruit that tempted Adam, and somewhere nearby must be the original Garden of Eden...

Eventually, the exotic seed was discovered on a gigantic female palm tree known as the "Coco De Mer." Like Eve, she too must have an Adam, the male Coco De Mer palm with its giant pollinating appendage.

This lost world is hidden in a cluster of islands called the "Seychelles." The Seychelles lie in the middle of the Indian Ocean between Africa and India. These remote islands conceal an astonishing array of life and are a refuge for strange creatures found nowhere else on Earth.

The virgin forest is a living Jurassic Park of palms. The trees are direct descendants from an age when the dinosaurs roamed and all life grew much bigger. In this age-old forest one palm tree reigns supreme.

The extraordinary Coco De Mer holds the record for the largest leaf, and the biggest seed, (not forgetting fruit, and nut), in the entire plant kingdom. They were so rare, early sailors thought they came from a tree growing beneath the ocean. The mysterious nuts came to be called "Coco De Mer", or as translated from French "Coconut Of  The Sea".

The male Coco De Mer tree boasts an enormous catkin, which can grow to more than five feet in length. This male reproductive organ is so large it supports its own mini-ecosystem. The ripe pollen-laden flowers are a magnet for visitors of all kinds.



No one knows whether it is a creature or the wind that carries pollen to the female Coco De Mer. An old Seychelles legend says the trees consummate their union by swaying together on stormy nights. However it occurs, ...it is the start of something big!
 

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Another


The female Coco De Mer trees do not bear until they are more than 100 years old. Once it is pollinated, it takes seven years for the nuts to mature. A single nut can weigh in at 40 pounds. (World Record holder is over 36 kilos!).
 


 

Too large to be carried away by a bird and too heavy to float, a fertile Coco De Mer seed never left this Eden until humans came. The trees can grow up to a hundred feet tall in the sheltered quiet of this ancient valley.

 

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Another

 

Stripping away the outer husk reveals the curiously erotic-shaped seed inside. The double lobes of the coconut account for its suggestive appearance. It is simply the biggest and most salacious seed in all of the world, ...and few can look at it without blushing! That's because the 45-pound whopper looks exactly like, well, there is no delicate way to put it....
 

The Coco de Mer is the most voluptuous and sexy thing created by Mother Nature.

 

You almost feel like finding a little fig leaf to cover it!!!

 

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Mbukushu Basket - Botswana

 

( Mambukush Mampukush Mbukushi )

 

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A hard to find quality example made by Leele at Etcha 6 on the west bank of the Okavango Delta.

 

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The BEST Shoowa EVER!

 

 

Collected by a Catholic Priest in former Zaire

 

 

   

 

These images go far to explain the manner to which Shoowa fabrics were worn.

 

Galerie Ezakwantu also has a red example much like those in the images not pictured here.

 

 

Click the thumbnail for an enlargement.

 

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Complements of...

 

 

Galerie Ezakwantu

World leaders in ascetically pleasing, authentic tribal art from Southern Africa.

 

 

 

Contact Galerie Ezakwantu for larger resolution images and the availability of items.

 

 

 

 

 

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Galerie Ezakwantu – The Village Center – Franschhoek
 

 

 

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Click a thumbnail to enter a page.

Masks / Masques

Neck Rests

Headdresses

 Spoons / Ladles 

Status Objects

Thrones / Stools

 

Tribal Weapons

Wooden Vessels

Figures

Contemporary

Hair Ornaments

Adornment

Miscellaneous

Beer -Wine Cups

 

Musical Instruments

 

Zulu Imbenge

 

Pipes - Snuff Bottles - Snuff Spoons

 

Dolls

 

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