Existing comment:
POWER
Human beings have always tried to understand unseen forces in the world. In most of Africa, no event, whether good or bad, is ever seen as happening due to chance. Most traditional African religions stress the importance of the relationship between the living and powerful deceased ancestors, who are in turn the link to a creator god. In some cultures these ancestors were deified, and over time a polytheistic system developed. Likewise, the caprices of a fickle natural world were embodied in a variety of spiritual forces. Many African objects, including those in this gallery, were created with the intent to control or respond to these many unseen powers. |