Table of Contents
What is a Nok art?
Nok art refers to huge human, animal, and other figures made out of terracotta pottery, made by the Nok culture and found throughout Nigeria.
What are the types of Nok art?
Nok art can be divided into three stylistic categories: early, middle and late Nok. The pottery of the early period, 1500 BCE- 900BCE was characterized by incised lines. These lines cover much of the pots’ surface.
What are the characteristic of Nok art?
The most characteristic Nok artifacts are clay figurines of animals and stylized human beings, usually heads; perforated eyes of an elliptical or triangular shape are typical of the style. Other artifacts of the Nok culture include iron tools, stone axes and other stone tools, and stone ornaments.
Who founded Nok art?
The first Nok terracotta was discovered in 1928 by Colonel Dent Young, a co-owner of a mining partnership, near the village of Nok in Kaduna State, Nigeria. The terracotta was accidentally unearthed at a level of 24 feet (7 m) from an alluvial tin mine.
What did the Nok do?
The Nok culture was one of the earliest known societies of Western Africa. It existed in modern-day Nigeria from around 500 B.C.E. to 200 C.E. The Nok farmed crops and used iron tools. Nok culture is known for its unique terracotta sculptures and its early iron working.
What is Mbari art made of?
Mbari were constructed with anthill clay as the primary building material, and once built, beautifully repeating geometric patterns were painted across the walls and pillars, which have an organic form.
What language did the Nok speak?
40-50 million people are native speakers of Hausa, a popular cross-cultural language in the North of Nigeria, and a further 2 million speak Hyam in certain historic Nok regions.
What forms of art are the Igbo people known for?
Igbo art is generally known for various types of masquerade, masks, and clothing symbolizing people, animals, or abstract conceptions.
What do archaeologists believe was the significance of Nok sculptures?
Some archaeologists believe that Nok terracotta sculptures signify that the Nok were an advanced society.
What are some of the main characteristics of the Nok head?
Perforated ears, mouths, triangular shaped eyes with pierced pupils are some of the typical stylistic features of the Nok heads. Distinctive hairstyles, the use of ornaments and jewels, variety of beauty in the design provides an enthralling record of body decoration and adornment in the Nok culture.
How old is Ile Ife?
Ile Ife is said to be dated back around 500 B.C. when it was founded and is the oldest Yoruba city. It is presently part of Osun State and has an estimated population of 501,000 people.
What does Nok mean in Africa?
Nok refers to the culture associated with a one hundred square kilometer area in central Nigeria where thousands of terracotta figures were found. These figures were first encountered in tin mines by Colonel J. Dent Young in 1928 and were classified as Nok by Bernard Fagg in 1943.
How were Nok heads made?
Although terracottas are usually formed using additive techniques, many Nok pieces were sculpted subtractively in a manner similar to carving. This distinctive approach suggests that a comparable wood-carving tradition may have influenced them.
What is the oldest art tradition in Nigeria?
Terracotta Culture The Nok culture is dated to have flourished between the years 2000BC and 300AD, a making it the oldest form of traditional art not just in Nigeria but West Africa.
Where do Nok people live?
One of those groups was the Nok, an ancient African culture who lived in what is now Northern Nigeria from roughly 900 BCE-200 CE.
What does Nok stand for?
NOK Acronym Definition NOK Norwegian Krone (currency of Norway) NOK Nokia (stock symbol) NOK No One Knows NOK Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis (district; Germany).
Which are the most important art forms in Africa?
Pottery, metalwork, sculpture, architecture, textile art and fibre art, are important visual art forms across Africa and may be included in the study of African art.
What is Mbari house?
Mbari is a visual art form practiced by the Igbo people in southeast Nigeria consisting of a sacred two- story house constructed as a propitiatory rite. After the ritual is complete, going in or even looking at the Mbari house is considered taboo. The building was not maintained and decayed in the elements.
Where is mbari located?
Shrines called mbari, which contain elaborate tableaux of painted unfired earth, are made in honour of the earth spirit in villages near Owerri in southern Nigeria.
When did Igbo communities in Nigeria make mbari?
The first Mbari Club was founded in Ibadan in 1961 by a group of young writers with the help of Ulli Beier, a teacher at the University of Ibadan. Mbari, an Igbo (Ibo) word for “creation,” refers to the traditional painted mud houses of the area, which must be renewed periodically.
What is one reason that the Nok head’s eyes and mouth are holes cut through the surface?
The pierced eyes, mouth, and ear holes are characteristic of Nok sculpture and probably helped to equalize the heating of the hollow clay head during the firing process. The earliest African sculptures in the round come from Nigeria.
What are kings in Ife called?
Specifically at Ife, the first divine ruler was Oni, whose name means ‘king’. The brass heads of Ife may represent rulers, gods, revered ancestors or have been used for some religious purpose.
Which part of Africa is Sub-Saharan?
Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. According to the United Nations, it consists of all African countries and territories that are fully or partially south of the Sahara.
How old is Igbo tribe?
Stone Age. There is evidence of Late Stone Age (late Paleolithic) human presence from at least 10,000 years ago. Early settlement of Igboland is dated to 6000 BC based on pottery found in the Okigwe, Oka Igwe, and known today as Awka.
