Museu Nacional de Antropologia - Luanda, Angola
The Angola Anthropology Museum is in Luanda, the capital. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get in, because the website was not updated, partially broken and I had heard various museums had been shuttered to the general public due to the economic crisis. Teague and I had to fly from Huambo to Luanda anyway because I would be flying from Luanda to go home. So we decided it was worth a shot. Robert drew us a map with various landmarks to show to our driver. Once we got into the general vicinity we asked a few people for directions and were eventually pointed in the right direction.
Finally we arrived in front of a pink building (characteristic of all government buildings in Angola) that looked like it had once been a homestead. Later I discovered it had been the home of a businessman who made a living selling slaves. In 1976, shortly after Angola gained independence from Portugal, it became the Anthropology Museum.
We climbed out of the car and found our way inside. A cheery man greeted us at the door in Portuguese. We were thrilled to learn that not only were they open, but they would provide us with a guided tour!
Although this is a museum, it was not the typical museum experience. There was no grand entry hall featuring a coat check and optional MP3 tours. There were no brochures in different languages or maps of the museum layout. In fact, there wasn't even electricity. However, two things were familiar: There were amazing artifacts and no pictures were allowed.
We began our tour with a beautiful hand carved canoe from Mafumeira wood. I pulled out my notebook and started furiously sketching everything I saw in an attempt to document as much as possible.
Woven baskets to catch fish. A scoop made from a hollowed Baobab fruit called an Imbondeiro. A guitar-like musical instrument called a Cihumba. There were weapons and arrow heads from many different tribes including the Chokwe people, whose artwork is the most famous around Angola. The guide told us that each arrow head had a different shape so the hunters would know who had gotten the kill.
There was a tool called a mortar and pestle, and although it was an ancient tool used to smash corn, I had seen women using this tool driving through the countryside on our trip to Namibe. It was a specific “U-shaped” branch called an Upi or hammer and a flat bowl shaped stone called a Pedra. This tool would come up again and again in my study of Angolan culture and it was fascinating to see one that had been used so long ago.
women using a mortar & pestle to smash corn
As we snaked around the rooms slowly, I was absorbing every detail of every item. Teague and our guide were being very patient with me as I sketched.
We came through one room and into the next and then I saw it! A Chokwe throne. Made from assembled wood and cowhide, this was the most fantastic symbol of Angolan history and culture enveloped into one incredible sculpture. It was more intricate and complex than any throne I had seen in my research and I was completely overwhelmed when I saw it.
It was at this point that my pen decided to give up and I was forced to seriously abbreviate my sketch. I was thrilled to find an image of the chair below, courtesy of the book, Chokwe, by Manuel Jordan.
The basic shape of the chair was based on early Portuguese design (that fact alone encompasses so much). The summit of the chair and leg stretchers were broken into rungs, each with a different representation of Angolan life and symbolism. This beautifully identifies the chair as uniquely Chokwe. These chairs were to be symbols of a chief’s power and authority and each rung describes a part of his responsibilities. The top rungs represent the spiritual realm showing figures wearing various ritual masks. The Chokwe also have a rich tradition of animal symbolism. One symbol represented here were the bats in the stretcher bar between the chair legs. Bats are used to symbolize that the chief can be aware of everything happening in his territory, even at night. Intentionally set below the bats on the bottom rungs show everyday life: women caring for children, making food and men playing music. The Angolan people and the Chokwe tribes in particular have survived because of their adaptability to outside influences. So, the rungs I found most interesting showed a European presence: clothed people holding the hands of unclothed people. The back of the chair had a rung showing a missionary on a horse. I loved this piece because of the optimistic choices made by the artist, showing the partnership between European and Chokwe people. This relationship was complex. Many times the Europeans and Chokwe fought each other. But this shows a moment time where they were at peace.
Chokwe Throne, Museu Nacional de Antropologia - Photo credit, Manuel Jordán, Chokwe.
One very unfortunate, and somewhat comical, result of my pen dying was having to sketch the masculine initiation ritual mask in pink ink. These masks are only similar shapes, but I wanted to include them because of their appearance on the top rungs of the throne.
Although the shape of the mask on the left is similar to the one I saw, it has notable differences. There were not fibers attached surrounding the face and there were doe or cow like ears protruding from the forehead. The twigs and bark making up the mask were red, black and white striped, which is consistent with initiation ceremonies. The explanation next to this one was that it was used specifically for a circumcision ceremony. The image below is a Chikuza which is used to protect the initiation camp physically and spiritually. So, while I believe they are not exactly the same, I think they may be related to the same ritual called the mukanda. These images below give at least a feel for the artifacts I am attempting to describe.
The mask on the right is very similar to the one I saw in the museum. It is called a Pwo, or a female mask. These masks are generally used to symbolize the beauty of Chokwe women. They are used in many rituals and could represent a general female, a lover or a special relationship with an ancestor.
By the time we reached the last room the guide told me I could take a picture. I couldn’t tell if he was trying to be nice or just tired of waiting on me to sketch everything. I was thankful either way.
Necklace called a Kwamo, worn by a married woman. Made of ostrich egg shell beads and braidings of vegetable fiber.
Resources:
Ministerio da Cultura Museu Nacional de Antropologia, Pastoricia
Wastiau, Boris. Chokwe. Milan: 5 Continents, 2006. Print.
Jordán, Manuel. Chokwe. New York: Rosen Pub. Group, 1998. Print.
