Search Tips for the Images Catalog and Index/Slide
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People
: Who made it? The name of the African people/tribes/ethnic groups who made the object. E.g, "Igbo," "Dogon," "Yoruba," etc.Type
: What is it? What kind of object is it? E.g., "mask," "figure", etc. Note that field photos have been coded by what appears in the photograph, such as mask, bowl, museum, shrine, etc. Also, "clothing" designates everyday wear, while "costume" designates regalia, performance outfits, and other ceremonial garb.Country
: Where was it made? The names of the African countries where the object was made. Note the use of "Congo" for "Congo (Brazzaville)," "Congo (Zaire)" for "Congo (Kinshasa);" "Guinea-Bissau" vs. "Guinea-Conakry;" and "Côte d'Ivoire" not "Ivory Coast." Also, the Republic of Bénin, the country, should not be confused with the Benin Kingdom (the name of a People) in Nigeria.Function
: What does it mean? What is it used for? This includes all the chapter titles, such as abundance, governance, death, et al., as well as a variety of subjects, such as Islam, power, archaeology and women's art. Women's art is included for easy identification of the pieces made by and for women, since much of the rest of the program describes art made by and for men. Note that many objects are used for more than one function or in more than one context. Therefore, a search on different subjects, e.g. death and initiation, will find many of the same objects because they are used in both contexts.Source
: What museum owns the object or what scholar provided the photograph? E.g., "Christopher D. Roy," "Stanley Collection, UIMA," etc.H
int: Do not try to search on too many criteria at the same time. Start with a broad search, such as the name of the people or country, or the function. Then, if the found list contains too many objects or photos, narrow the search down one criterion at a time. This will avoid the problem of searching for criteria that will not find anything. For example, looking for Yoruba art in Angola will not find anything because the Yoruba don't live in Angola; similarly, looking for Berber and masks simultaneously finds nothing because Berber do not make masks.Revised January 21, 1999