Synopsis
The Kwagh-Hir masquerade of the Tiv people of Nigeria is a public performance vehicle for expressing stories, news, and current events while also reinforcing traditional religious beliefs and conveying otherworldly tales. Until now all but unexplored in the literature on African art, this is a living tradition born of the political and social chaos that followed the independence of Nigeria in 1960. Often monstrous in appearance, each of the innumerable characters of the Kwagh-Hir has allegorical meanings familiar to audience members of the rural Tiv countryside. Some of the body masks weigh more than 100 pounds and dancing them is no small feat. The majority of the objects in these pages were collected in the second half of the twentieth century by Jerome Bunch, who formed what is unquestionably the most important single collection of Kwagh-Hir masks, puppets, and masquerade props known today. Essays by Iyorwuese Hagher and Mnena Abuku discuss the meaning and significance of the Kwagh-Hir, while Sidney Kasfir casts light on the history, art, and culture of the Tiv people. Ethan Rider and Richard Bunch relate the history of the Bunch Collection and their ensuing trajectory of discovery. As a whole, this book provides a unique window into an all-but-unknown African masking tradition. Hardcover, 320 pages. BFP Publishing offers free worldwide shipping, but Amazon automatically adds a shipping cost. We will refund shipping costs applied by Amazon.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.