As a scholar he worked till the end for the Yale
files, in the hope that young scholars could benefit of this.
As written in his obituary, he has left this dance-floor, their 'pas-de-deux'
has come to an end.
Our thoughts go out to Nettie Guy & Loes, Archivist of the Yale
University Art Gallery- van Rijn Archive
of African Art
correspondence: Nettie Witte-Sengers
. Museum
Kamstraat 55 . 6522 GB
Nijmegen Nederland
Witte,
Hans
Scholar. Berg en Dal-The Netherlands. Studied philosophy and
phenomenology of religion at Nijmegen University, The Netherlands. Thaught
science of religion and iconography at the Rijksuniversiteit in Groningen for 10
years. Former curator of Afrika Museum, Berg & Dal. Numerous publications,
mainly on Yoruba art. Author: Earth and Ancestors: Ogboni Iconography.
Amsterdam: Gallery Balolu, 1988
Bibliography:
Fishes
of the earth: Mud-fish symbolism in Yoruba iconography Author: Hans
Witte; 1982
Ifa
and Esu Iconography of order and disorder
Author: Hans Witte; Kunsthandel Luttik (1984) 123 pages
"Earth
and the ancestors: Ogboni Iconography." Hans Witte, 1988.Gallery
Balolu
Art
from Mali 32p Author: Hans Witte;Gallery Steven van de Raadt &
Kathy van der Pas (1993)
World
in Motion Gelede Puppets of the Anago Yoruba
Afrika Museum, Berg en Dal, The Netherlands, 2001. Text in Dutch and English.
98 pp., 73 color photos. EUR 23,00 softcover.
found in African Arts, Spring, 2002 by Dana Rush
This beautifully illustrated catalogue was an effective companion to the
exhibition of Gelede masks surmounted by articulated figures, or "puppet
masks," that was held last year at the Afrika Museum (see review, p. 84),
especially as those masks were displayed without individual didactic labels. The
catalogue would have been nice to consult in the gallery space, providing
insight into interpretation of the masks without distracting from the aesthetic
experience. For those who do not read German or Dutch, it includes an English
translation by Kevin Cook.
Just by themselves, the 73 high-quality color photographs of these
one-of-a-kind, never-before-published masks make Wereld in Beweging a logical
addition to any personal or institutional library. (Smaller versions of the
photos are reproduced in black and white in the back, next to the English
translation.) The bulk of the volume consists of descriptive and interpretive
catalogue entries for each mask. This is prefaced with a brief introduction to
Efe/Gelede masking traditions of Anago Yoruba peoples (known as Nago in Benin)
who live at the crossroads of southeastern Benin and southwestern Nigeria. The
author, Hans Witte, clearly informs the reader at the outset that a lengthy
description of the purpose and function of the Gelede society, rituals, and
iconographies is "beyond the scope of this study" (p. 69). He does,
however, refer to a body of literature to consult for a deeper understanding of
Gelede, all of which is included in the bibliography.
In the introduction Witte states that the main function of the Gelede society
is to guide the female powers of "witches" to safeguard the community
against their potentially dangerous disposition. He goes on to explain the
important concept of the "witch," pointing out that the term is an
"unnecessarily pejorative rendering of the [Yoruba] word aje," and is
used only for lack of a better translation (p. 69). Aje, we learn, refers to a
type of "female power" inherent in all women, all of whom are
potentially "witches." The Efe/Gelede society placates and pacifies
this "female power" often through mask celebrations which have two
parts. Efe, the first part, is a nocturnal gathering; the Gelede masks appear in
the second part the following afternoon.
Because the original collector of the masks did not pass on information about
their specific geographic origin, we are told only that all of the Efe/Gelede
objects in Mrs. Ursula Heijs-Voorhuis's collection (which have been in Europe
since at least 1972) were acquired from the same African town or village, whose
name is not specified. Therefore, the next section in the introduction addresses
the possible origins of these objects. Because of particular stylistic
characteristics, Witte proposes that the collection came from Benin, most likely
the area between Porto Novo and Sakete, including the villages of Takon, Banigbe,
and Daagbe, and possibly as far north as Pobe. The Lamida family, well-known
mask carvers from the village of Daagbe, probably carved some of the masks.
Throughout the catalogue great attention is paid to particular artists' hands
and workshops, and the author nicely refers to Allen Roberts's article on a
family of Gelede puppet-mask sculptors in south-central Benin, the only other
publication to date that addresses this topic (Roberts 1992:54-60).
We next learn how puppets are used in Efe/Gelede ceremonies. By and large, it
appears that one or more of these masks might perform in preparation for the
nocturnal Efe ceremony. During the daytime Gelede celebration, they entertain
the audience with performances, often satirical in nature, depicting a wide
range of events in the daily life of a Yoruba community. Because the puppets
were often made to address a particular situation in a particular village at a
particular time, it is often difficult to reconstruct the original meaning of
the superstructure. Add to this the fact that superstructures can be altered or
replaced entirely, allowing a mask to be updated while keeping the same
substructure. A new meaning based on a new social circumstance can be given to a
puppet whose initial meaning has become obsolete. Thus we learn in the small
section on interpreting the puppets that it is usually "impossible to
identify the local events that the puppets originally referred to" (p. 72).
Witte closes his introduction with the proposition that some puppet masks might
have been made and used for funerals of important members of Gelede societies.
The main catalogue consists of the detailed entries for each object which are
clearly divided into sections and subsections that were not as readily
discernible in the installation itself. As in the exhibition, the first part,
called "Efe," contains catalogue entries which go into great detail on
the potential meanings of the five Efe masks: a janus-faced bird/human, a hyena,
a Great Mother, and two Oro Efe masks. Then, again following the exhibition, the
Alapafuja and Gelede monkey masks are discussed in a separate section called
"Between Efe and Gelede."
The main portion .of the catalogue (and of the exhibition), called
"Gelede," is subdivided in a very useful fashion. First, we are
presented with entries for eight masks in a section designated "Witch
Birds." To no surprise, all have articulated bird puppets as
superstructures, for in Yoruba thought, birds often symbolize the female power
of witches. The next subsection, called "Philosophy of Life," contains
thirteen detailed entries of the masks representing ancestors,
"witches," and orisha. The following subsection, "Authority and
Justice," contains eight entries on masks representing Yoruba public life
by incorporating figures of court officials and district chiefs. The puppets
wear the clothing and regalia of Fon chiefs, attesting to the interethnic
community of Nago and Fon peoples. "Daily Life" is the last
subdivision of the Gelede masks. These puppet masks reinforce principles of
upright social behavior either by positive or negative example.
After "Gelede," the final section of the catalogue is dedicated to
Gelede music. It includes ten leg rattles worn by dancers as both a composite
musical instrument and a protective device, and three drums which would be used
during Efe and Gelede celebrations.
Because of the possibility of changed meanings of Gelede puppet masks, some
of the catalogue entries required some serious interpretive guesswork. They do
not claim to be definitive, however, but are meant to offer some interesting and
well-thought-out ideas. Liberties of interpretation are taken, but in my view
that is better than saying nothing.
If you did not make it to the Afrika Museum for this show, I highly recommend
taking a look at the catalogue. And please stay tuned for coming attractions:
the museum plans innovative exhibitions and publications in the near future,
some of which will focus on contemporary African and African diaspora art and
artists.
Dana Rush reviews the exhibition, "Wereld in Beweging," on page 84.
Beier, Ulli. 1996. Les masques guelede, Etudes Dahomeenes, nouvelle serie,
numero special (oorspronkelijk/originally published in Odu), no. 6, 1958.
Drewal, Henry John. 1974a. "Efe: Voiced Power and Pageants,"
African Arts 7, 2:26-29, 58-66, 82-83.
Drewal, Henry John. 1974b. "Gelede Masquerade: Imagery and
Motif," African Arts 7, 4:8-19, 62-63, 95-96.
Drewal, Henry John and Margaret Thompson Drewal. 1975. "Gelede Dance
of the Western Yoruba," African Arts 8, 2:36-45, 78-79.
Drewal, Henry John and Margaret Thompson Drewal. 1983. Gelede:
Art and Female Power Among the Yoruba. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Lawal, Babatunde. 1996. The Gelede Spectacle: Art, Gender, and Social
Harmony in an African Culture. Seattle and London: University of Washington
Press.
African
Art David
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