#african motifs

[digitaldreams04]

(via "Vibrant African Tribal Pattern" Leggings for Sale by DigitalDreams04)

[livethrushit]

Tunisian designs from 'Designs and Patterns From North African Carpets & Textiles'

[uwmspeccoll]

An African Fine Press Friday

As we continue to celebrate Black History Month, I was introduced to this handmade, hand-printed little book by noted African American book artist and letterpress printer Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. (b. 1948),entitled How Wisdom Came to the World, printed in Oak Park, Illinois at Kennedy’s Jubilee Press in 1992 in an edition of 50 copies.

The piece is an adaptation of a Yoruba folktale about a man named Ijapa who tried to keep all the wisdom of the world to himself and, with the help of his son, comes to realize that wisdom is for everyone. Ijapa literally means “That which moves around awkwardly” in reference to a turtle or tortoise, which is an animal trickster of Yoruba legend. Therefore, this accordion book is printed on pages that are hand-cut in the shape of a turtle. Although the pages are unnumbered, each page has has a different number of small, printed turtles to indicate the order it should be read. The accordion folds down into a 10 x 13 cm square that is housed in a handmade, four-fold amate “paper” enclosure with a turtle motif on the outside.

View more posts on the work of Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.

View more Black History Month posts.

View more Fine Press Friday posts.

- Elizabeth V., Special Collections Undergraduate Writing Intern

[skfiberartz]

Newest project completed 🐴🤍💙🩶

[tentacion3099]

MIDGUARD

[cassandragemini]

learning that women turning into bears was a fairly common story motif from my tribe was the most validating piece of information ive ever received as a artist. im carrying on hundreds of years of tradition by being really loud about my ocs on the internet

[timelessfineries]

Bracelet africain Massai ::: Timeless Fineries

https://www.timeless-fineries.com/collections/bracelets-africains-massai

timelessfineries.etsy.com

[closetdbisexual]

its possible to watch four good* movies in a row

[rovingwren]

I've been crazy busy with work, but in between it all I finished my turtle friend, started a small tapestry project, and I've been chipping away at the poncho and the second glove I was supposed to finish last month lol.

I am also in the process of starting a local yarn group!! 🤩😬🤞 I have a lot of emotions about it and I hope it goes well!!

[yourfriendphoenix]

I may not post much on Tumblr really but know I am always working on something in the bg pretty much :)

[jozistyle]

“Trilogy of Notes" Ballet at Joburg Theatre

WGRUV Dance Company, South Africa’s newest contemporary ballet dance company announces its 3rd Season of 2024, presenting “Trilogy of Notes – A Symphony of Dance” at four theatres across Cape Town and Gauteng later this year. WGRUV is set to enchant audiences with its 3rd Season of 2024, presenting “Trilogy of Notes,” a triple bill that promises to deliver class, culture, and breathtaking…

[digitaldreams04]

(via "Vibrant African Tribal Pattern" iPhone Case for Sale by DigitalDreams04)

[livethrushit]

moroccan & tunisian weavings from the helen louise allen textile collection at uw-madison

[pickmash]

Tapestry of Traditions: An African Motif

on Payhip

Only accessible via Payhip

Payhip is the only place to buy this unique tapestry. Don't pass up this chance to showcase a work of art that will delight your senses and deepen your awareness of Africa's rich cultural legacy on your walls.

Get yours now, and watch as the rich tapestry of African customs turns your house into a haven of timeless beauty and cultural vibrancy.

[gigivas]

Amina Juma - Elegant Heritage: Floral Serenity

E12 Single image prompts: for stable diffusion series + Midjourney 6 + DALL·E 3

Prompts Reference Stable Diffusion series POSITIVE PROMPTS (Copy the following)A woman in traditional African attire featuring a long flowing dress with vibrant patterns, a blue stones necklace, and a confident pose, set against lush green plants, depicted in a realistic digital artwork that highlights intricate designs, color, and cultural significance. NEGATIVE PROMPTS (Copy the…

[celestial-kestrel]

It's that time of year again where Mari Lwyd starts to be talked about and shared around and an INCREDIBLY misleading post gets shared a lot. As someone who grew up with Mari Lwyd I wanted to clear some things up.

Also hello, if you are unaware who Mari Lwyd is. This is about the Welsh tradition of the horse skull who visits houses during the Christmas to New Years period in Wales asking for alcohol.

First off and probably the most important one:

Mari Lwyd is not a cryptid!

I can not emphasise this enough. She. Is. Not. A. Cryptid. There is no story or mystery about a ghost or zombie horse roaming the Welsh valleys. She's not even supposed to be a ghost or a zombie. It's just a horse skull on a stick with a guy under a sheet. She's a hobbyhorse and a folk character used to tell Welsh stories and keep songs alive. When people spread the misinformation that she's a cryptid, it's the equivalent of saying Kermit the Frog is a cryptid.

She is actually only one character in a wider cast of characters who go door to door or, in more modern times, pub to pub. The cast of characters can change town to town and village to village but there are some common ones I see time and time again. The Leader, the Merryman, The Jester and The Lady are just some I see regularly. Punch and Judy used to be more popular a few years ago but I haven't seen them in a while as their tradition has mostly fallen out of popularity. In most cases, almost the whole cast will be played by men. Even the characters are considered and referred to as female. Though this again depends and varies by which group is partaking in the Mari Lwyd tradition.

This point also goes onto my second point,

Mari Lwyd does not rap.

I think this comes from a very common misunderstanding of what rap is vs spoken word. Rap is a very specific style of music originating from the African American communities of the USA and has it's own structure and motifs unique to it. It's a lot more complex than people give it credit for as a style of music and just flippantly assign anything similar to it as being rap. If someone is talking fast or reciting poetry, it is not rap. Or anything that is an exchange of words between two people is not a rap battle. Mari Lwyd does not do rap, actually something that gets left out of these posts is the fact Mari Lwyd does not even speak. It's actually the Leader, who does all the speaking and song based banter between the house/pub owner for entry. Mari Lwyd just clicks her mouth, bites people and bobs her head around.

I think Mari Lwyd is a really beautiful and unique part of Welsh culture. She's not actually as wildly celebrated as a lot of the posts make her out to be. Actually, I think most Welsh people themselves learn about Mari Lwyd through the internet as well. Her popularity is increasing thanks to the drive of local groups wanting to keep the traditions alive and a renewed desire to document Welsh traditions before they're gone. Which is why it's such a shame that she's turned into something she's not to earn horror points on the internet. I think this is why it bothers me so much to see the misunderstandings of the culture and the folk tradition. Mari Lwyd's origin is very hot debated as well as how long it's been going on for. But I think it's thanks to a lot of traditions like this that the Welsh language and our stories weren't lost forever. Welsh culture is recovering as is the language. But it's still in a very fragile place. I think it's why it's important to document and correct information when it's spread.

Anyway, if you want to see the tradition in action, here's a lovely video from the Cwmafan RFC going to one of the pubs for charity. It includes the song exchange with the pub owner for entry and the whole pub singing and joining in once Mari Lwyd and the rest are inside.

As well with another video from St Fagan's showcasing the more traditional and door to door form with the larger cast.