White enamelware bowl with lid featuring screen printed designs featuring Nigerian military ruler Murtala Mohammed, who was in power from 1975 until his assassination in 1976. The body of the bowl has two curved handles on either side and just below the blue lip on the front and back of the bowl is a screen printed portrait of Mohammed in a green and red uniform flanked by two identical floral motifs surrounding a central human face in elaborate headdress. The same image is printed on the lid, which is topped with a white knob.
- Catalog Number:
- 400638
- Object/Specimen Description:
- Specimen Count:
- 2
- Locality:
- African Region
- Min/Max Dates:
- late 20th century
- Collecting Locality:
- Africa, Nigeria
- Cabinet:
- 29
- Drawer/Shelf:
- 01
Baule woodcarvers at work, Yagolikro village, Ivory Coast
Photograph by Eliot Elisofon, 1972. Image no. EEPA EECL 6900. Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution
Humans have always manipulated their environment, whether by acquiring food, making and using tools, or other aspects of daily life. They are constantly interacting with their environment on a daily basis. By using the available materials, humans have created shelter, made tools, created containers and vessels, and produced items of personal and cultural significance. Many of these resources are naturally occurring, such as stones, minerals, animal bones, or organic fibers from plants, while others are made from combining materials. The process of acquiring these materials and the manufacturing process can be traditional practices that are passed down from one generation to another. Because materials are unique to the location of different communities and cultures, by studying the types of materials, as well as animal remains found and the processes used to manipulate them, anthropologists and researchers can learn about the daily activities and lifestyles of the cultures they are studying. In what ways do you interact with your environment on a daily basis?