Carved wooden vessel and lid decorated with incised geometric designs and animal motifs. The vessel was made in Rwanda and the motifs represent scenes of cattle herding in Tutsi culture. The geometric designs consist of repeating patterns of triangles and straight lines. There are four panels featuring two animal motifs. The first motif features two long billed cattle birds facing one another with a geometric design panel between them. The other features a cattle bird sitting on the back of a long horned cow with a prominent hump. The lid is carved with concentric circles of designs similar to those on the vessel body. There is a large crack running down the middle of the body of the vessel between two panels. The interior of the vessel is smooth but unfinished and undecorated.
- Catalog Number:
- 400642
- Object/Specimen Description:
- Specimen Count:
- 2
- Collector:
- M. Arnoldi
- Culture/Ethnicity:
- Tutsi
- Locality:
- African Region
- Min/Max Dates:
- late 20th century
- Collecting Locality:
- Africa, Rwanda
- 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?