Arts of Oceania, Africa, and

the Americas
The indigenous peoples of
Australia, Aborigines,
perceived the world as being
occupied by both themselves
and spiritual beings called
Dreamings.

Dreamtime is a myth
surrounding the creations of the
world, dreamings, and laws.
Much of the ancient Aboriginal art was portable
because images were scared and protected.
People were restricted to only create images of
Dreamings to which they were connected.

In this way certain clans began to own particular

images and designs. This also makes
interpretation difficult.

Artwork is very often about the creation of the

landscape and sacred places. In some cases,
Dreamings metamorphosed into the land, like
lakes or rocky outcroppings, and these became
sacred sites. Often, these places are also
decorated with similar murals.
Aboriginal Dot Art:
When Western peoples began
coming to Australia, Aborigines
began disguising their sacred
images and stories in abstract
dot paintings.

Before the dot paintings, for

rituals, Aborigines would paint
their bodies and draw their
images in the soil or sand, which
they would then wipe away to
keep the images and their
meanings hidden.
Video: Aboriginal Art
 The Moai of Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
The Moai are megalithic
statues of ancestral
chiefs. They may have
acted as communicators
between the people and
the heavens.

Some are as tall as 70 ft,

and weigh 150 tons.

There are a total of 887

statues on this island

Some have top knots or

hats carved from red
volcanic stone
Art of the Maori (New Zealand)
Body modification is prevalent in several
Polynesian cultures. Called Tatu in Tahiti
and Ta Moko in New Zealand.

Ta Moko is traditionally performed with a

chisel and charcoal made from the
ashes of plants. This leaves not only a
drawing, but a raised scar.

Ta Moko is performed to identify the

wearing by genealogy (family ties), and
social rank. The designs of the ta moko
could reflect your ancestry, your job, and
the clan to which you belonged.
Ta Moko is
traditionally worn by
both men and
women

Men: Face and Butt,

more if they have a
high social status

Women: the chin,

lips and forehead
mostly.
TheHaka is a type of ancient Mori war dance
traditionally used on the battlefield, as well as when
groups came together in peace. Haka are a fierce
display of a tribe's pride, strength and unity. Actions
include violent foot-stamping, tongue protrusions
and rhythmic body slapping to accompany a loud
chant. The words of a haka often poetically
describe ancestors and events in the tribe's history.
Meant to intimidate.
Maori Meeting Houses
Called Wharenui, meeting
houses were intricately
carved structures.

Each represents an
important tribal ancestor.
The figure-head at top,
is the head.
The barge posts are
open arms
Roof beam is the spine
Rafters are ribs

Consuming food or drink

inside is strictly forbidden
Art of Africa
Tassili NAjjer: Located in central
Sahara, these rock formations hold
some of the oldest existing art in the
world.

This woman may be running or

dancing, her body dotted with
decoration for ritual, possibly wearing a
horned headdress.

Early African Art may be as old as

25,000 BCE or as new as 8000 BCE.
Many images overlap, which makes
dating and interpretation difficult
Ife is considered the cradle
of the Yoruba civilization,
and the place where the
gods, Oduduwa and
Obatala, created the world.

Ife sculptures are well

known for their naturalism.
Most rulers were depicted in
early adulthood, before
aging.

Dates: 1100s-1200s BCE

(Left) Important figures
were depicted oversized
heads
Human essence
and wisdom comes
from the head
An emphasised
head represents
power and wisdom

(Right) The relaxed

pose, seated position
and even proportions
suggest this man was
not a ruler, but maybe
part of the kings court.
Nkisi Nkondi: power figure that is a magical charm
seemingly carved in the likeness of human being,
meant to highlight its function in human affairs.

The nails are meant to emphasize the seriousness

of type of affair

A deep nail may represent murder

A shallow peg may refer to a conflict between
persons being settled. If contract is broken or
evil befalls them, the Nkisi would be activated
to bring destruction or protection

This tradition has since migrated to the Americas

as part of the Voodoo tradition and is regarded with
much suspicion.
African Masquerades: Each mask, in combination
with dance, music, and other objects is invoking a
specific spirit. In most regions, men are responsible
for mask-making and performance.

Senufo Masquerades
Reasons masks are worn:
Aggressive faces were meant to fight evil spirits,
witchcraft and the wandering dead
Aids in transforming deceased persons into
productive ancestral spirits and guiding them out
of the village

Appearance:
Usually a composite creature: antelope,
crocodile, warthog, hyena and human
Kuba Masquerades:
Used as reenactments of mythical
events, like the myth of Mwashamboy

The masks represent three ancestral

figures:
Mwashamboy: Woot, legendary
King and founder
Bwoom: a dwarf/ pygmy,
represents conquered
indigenous peoples
Ngady Amwaash: represents the
first woman and all women after
her.

Characterized as heavily decorated

masks: cloth, beads, shells, feather,
animal skins
Pre Columbian MesoAmerica
The Maya

Location: The Yucatan

Peninsula:
Mexico, Guatemala,
Honduras, Belize, and El
Salvador
Time Period: 2000 BCE to
250 AD
The 3 Mayan Calendars:

The Long Count: Started August 13, 3114 BCE

This calendar records how many days have passed
since the beginning of time. The beginning could be an
event (Like the birth of Christ is for the Gregorian Calendar)
or like the big bang.

The Tzolkin: The distribution of days 260 day calendar

This calendar was used to designate which days
agricultural labor and religious ceremonies would take place.
A week had 20 days which had names. Each day
corresponded to a list of 13 days, which were numbered.
Depending on how the two lined up could mean good luck or
bad luck.

The Haab: referred to as their civil calendar. It had 365

days.
18 months of 20 days each, the 19th month has 5
days. This last month was considered unlucky.
 Mayan Books
The Maya were very sophisticated book makers.

These were made from bark paper, or from

animal skins, and then folded like an accordion,
with wood covers. This format is called a
codex.

The only four surviving books contain information

about:
Astronomy
Religion and rituals
Mythology
This is from the Borgia Codex.

Here we have two gods:

Mictlantecuhtli (Aztec): white god

of death

Quetzalcoatl (Aztec): black god of

life

Here they stand back to back,

gesturing, over an upside down
skull, representing the underworld.

This refers to the inevitable

relationship between life and
death Apocalypto
The Aztecs (Mexica)

The Aztecs conquered the Valley of

Mexico and fulfilled the prophecy that
they would build a city where they
found an eagle eating a snake
perched on a cactus. That city they
called Tenochtitlan, present day
Mexico City.

The adopted many of the local gods

and practices of the peoples they
conquered.

25 Facts About the Aztecs

Coatlicue: Mother of
Huitzilopochtli (Sun/Fire god,
hummingbird), 116

Pictured as a woman with two

snake heads, clawed hands and
feet, with a necklace of severed
human hands and hearts, and a
skirt of live snakes.

The Great Temple at Tenochtitlan

stands on the birth place of
Aztecs and
Huitzilopochtli, and serves as an
Mayans built step
axis between heaven and the pyramid like the
underworld. Sumerians
 The Aztecs were very fine metalsmiths. Gold
and Copper were popular metal, but turqoise
was the most highly prize material.

Gold is what attracted attention from the

Spanish conquistadors
Aztec Labret plug

Aztec Septum Jewelry

 The Incan Empire
Established in 1000 AD

Extremely sophisticated civilization:

Broken into provinces and
communities
Extensive irrigation systems to
feed people across the nation
Made roads and bridges across
the mountainous territory
Transported goods via herds of
llamas
Used a series of relay runners
to carry messages
This is Machu Picchu. Not
discovered until 1911 by an
American explorer.

It was nestled behind the

mountain ridge, which kept it
hidden for so long.

The Inca were very skill

architects. They even cut
their stones to fit the
shape of the mountainside,
which allowed them to
build all the way to the
peaks.
 Incan stone masons didnt use
mortar, instead, they fit their
stones perfectly together by
grinding the surfaces down.

This allowed for curved walls

that could survive earthquakes

Machu Picchu
The Incans were
well known for
their gold work.

The shine from gold

is reminiscent of the
shine of the Sun.

Their Sun god is

called Inti. The
more noble you are,
the more gold you
are permitted to
wear, because it is
believed they are
closer to god.
Predecessors to the Inca: The Nazca

The Nazca was a civilization was well known for their

pottery.

Polychrome surface
Designs featured plants, animals and composite
mythological creatures
Often represented religious practitioners impersonating
deities in sacred rituals.
Nazca Lines
These are gigantic earth drawings several
hundred feet long. They were made by
removing the dark layer of topsoil to reveal
the clay and calcite underneath.

May have been pilgrimage routes or areas

of irrigation
The Moche
Most well known for their
naturalistic pottery style and the
stirrup neck vessels.

Lots of figurative work

Some were created using two part molds

 Quiz:
Art of Oceania, Africa
and MesoAmerica
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