Tribal Arts & Furniture

On this page you find a variety of tribal artifacts, furniture and jewelry. If you like a particular piece, please jot down its reference number and contact Lisa for its details (description, colour, material, size and price). Enjoy!

Dolls & Marionettes

(33) Marionette couple
from the Nyamwezi, Tanzania

(16) A carved wooden Colonial
from the Belgian Congo

(34) Twin dolls from the Nyamwezi, Tanzania

(35) Marionette Gourd dolls
from the Nyamwezi, Tanzania

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Stools

"A Man without a Stool is a Man without Dignity"

In a traditional, simple way of life the stool is an important piece of furniture which can tell us much about the social, cultural,political and aesthetic values of a society, and alsoserves as a sort of social insignia. Apart from being a general household article, in many ethnic groups it was also used to mark social status.
Read more about the history and significance of stools...

(5) Tribal "Root" stool from Kenya

(9) Tribal wooden stool from Tanzania

(7) Carved wooden stool
from the HeHe in Iringa, Tanzania

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(3) Carved wooden hair comb
from Luba, Congo

Hair Combs

The African hair requires strong combs. Combs can be simple, made of thin pointed bamboo stick and then woven with string or raffia. Or, they can be carved from a plain piece of strong wood; and they could be decorated with burnt-in or carved patterns. A man usually combs his hair by drawing the comb from the forehead backwards. Women usually plait their hair in various styles, the simplest styles one can manage on one's own. But a good hair-do always needs a specialist hair dresser...

(02131) Wooden hair combs from the Baule in Ivory Coast

(4) Both women and men
in Africa use hair combs

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(10) Mbao wooden game board

Mbao Games

For centuries, the most popular board game along the East African coast has been Mankala, a generic name for a family of board games akin to draughts and believed to be the oldest and most widely distributed in the world. It is played on boards with two, three or four rows of cup-like depressions or 'holes'. Two-row games are the most widely distributed in the world, while three and four-row games ar rarely found outside Africa. Africa is unique in being home to all three types.
More about Mbao games and how to play...

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(19) Carved wooden headrest
from the Luba, Congo

Headrests

Headrests, also known as neck-rest, head-stool or neck-stool are pieces of African furniture usually made out of wood and associated with sleeping. A headrest serves as a pillow that is both cool and comfortable in a tropical climate. The headrest is placed under one ear and along the side of the chin to support the head during sleep in order to protect elaborate hair styles intended to last as long as one year. This being the case with the Karamajong from Uganda and close to the Kenyan border.

More about African Headrests...

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Marriage Necklaces

The palm-weave collar signals the marital status of women. It is a prized possession and will be closely guarded for the rest of the woman's life.

(13, 14) Marriage necklace from the Samburu/Rendille in Kenya

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Carved Doors

(12) Decorated shutter of a granary from the Dogon of Mali. In Dogon mythology the world was like a granary which contained compartments for the different seeds god gave to mankind. The original granary came down from heaven on a rainbow, crashing to the earth and scattering human beings, animals and vegetables.

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Musical Instruments

Drums

(15) A Tanzanian Tube Drum

(16) Drum from the Songye, Congo

Other musical instruments available from Home Gallery:

Mrimba, Zeze, Guitar, Harpe, Rattles, Whistle, Trumpets

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Masks

People of many cultures, both recent and ancient, have made masks. Gold, stone, wood, bark, copper, bronze, tin, clay, feathers and ivory - and often a mixture of these materials - are used in mask making. Some masks are also decorated with colours, patterns and textures such as cowry shells and coins.