Humanoid doll - Sukuma - Tanzania - SOLD
Tanzanian African art with its beaded dolls
Sukuma is the largest crop in Tanzania. The Sukuma live in small villages of Usukuma to the west and south of Lake Victoria and 100 miles south of the equator. Because it rains from September to October and from February to May, the Sukuma are mainly peaceful farmers. The Sukuma speak Kiswahili and Kisukuma (the official language of Sukuma) and since the 16th century they have traded with the Baganda tribes and since 1845 the Arabs. The English discovered Usukuma in 1857.
The German East African Company colonized what would become Tanganyika and exploited Sukuma for economic purposes and ruled under tight military control and strength. The Germans were expelled during the First World War and in 1918 Tanganyika was taken over by the British who colonized Kenya and Uganda. The Sukuma believe in a creator god and pray for rain for crops and are oriented towards the earth.
They believe in the eternal spirits of the ancestors and are led by the leaders and superstitions and wisdom of the men of medicine. Sukuma puppets are used to please the ancestors during ceremonies of rites of passage, rituals of praise and honor of the ancestors (to please) and in the feast and dances of the people called my shunda Na mbing ga Batemi. While the ancients dance with the marionettes of the ancestors, they believe that the spirits of the ancestors will bring through the magic powers the rain, the food and the well-being. These Sukuma dance puppets have a beautiful patina and show a considerable age.
African beaded doll found traditionally in Tanzania. Object sold by our gallery.
Origin : gathered in situDating: 1960'sSize : 33 x 9 cmMaterials : wood, beads
00285
Data sheet
- Presumed dating
- Mid XXth century
- Size
- Material(s)
- Wood
- Country
- Origin
- Gathered in situ
Tanzanian African art with its beaded dolls
Sukuma is the largest crop in Tanzania. The Sukuma live in small villages of Usukuma to the west and south of Lake Victoria and 100 miles south of the equator. Because it rains from September to October and from February to May, the Sukuma are mainly peaceful farmers. The Sukuma speak Kiswahili and Kisukuma (the official language of Sukuma) and since the 16th century they have traded with the Baganda tribes and since 1845 the Arabs. The English discovered Usukuma in 1857.
The German East African Company colonized what would become Tanganyika and exploited Sukuma for economic purposes and ruled under tight military control and strength. The Germans were expelled during the First World War and in 1918 Tanganyika was taken over by the British who colonized Kenya and Uganda. The Sukuma believe in a creator god and pray for rain for crops and are oriented towards the earth.
They believe in the eternal spirits of the ancestors and are led by the leaders and superstitions and wisdom of the men of medicine. Sukuma puppets are used to please the ancestors during ceremonies of rites of passage, rituals of praise and honor of the ancestors (to please) and in the feast and dances of the people called my shunda Na mbing ga Batemi. While the ancients dance with the marionettes of the ancestors, they believe that the spirits of the ancestors will bring through the magic powers the rain, the food and the well-being. These Sukuma dance puppets have a beautiful patina and show a considerable age.
African beaded doll found traditionally in Tanzania. Object sold by our gallery.
Origin : gathered in situDating: 1960'sSize : 33 x 9 cmMaterials : wood, beads