Makonde Artwork

After being created, the first man, wandering about in the bush carved an image of himself from a piece of wood. When he awoke the next morning, he was pleasantly surprised to find that the sculpture was alive, and a woman for that matter. He cleaned himself up and took care of his appearance as a man.

That is the creation myth of the Makonde, a community living in southeastern Tanzania and northeast Mozambique, and known worldwide for their sculpting prowess. Their ancestral lands are located on plateaus on both sides of River Ruvuma, but communities that constitute the Makonde have diverged quite a bit, in terms of culture and language, that it may be difficult to draw connections between them.

But the one thing that is instantly recognized as Makonde, irrespective of whether it’s from Tanzania or Mozambique, is their sculpture. The Makonde sculptors are famous for two kinds of sculptures, the lipiko (plural mapiko) and matambu.

The lipiko is a mask made of light wood and was worn at initiation ceremonies. Anthropomorphic masks represented ancestors who were witnessing and expressing joy at seeing their progeny successfully crossing over into adulthood. The masks were elaborate and highly expressive, often depicting scarification on the face. Tufts of real hair was often attached to show eyebrows, beard or eyelashes. Female mapiko had lip plugs, which were worn by Makonde women. The masks could also be modeled after animals. When worn the mask was often teathered back so that the wearer could see through the mouth of the mask.

The matambu is a body sculpture depicting a pregnant lady; it was worn by men, together with the lipiko, during initiation ceremonies for girls.  It was meant to mask their maleness during the ritual and recognize the fertility of the girls who were undergoing the transition to adulthood.

The Makonde woodcarvers also made other pieces of work, such as carvings of animals. Other ornamental pieces such as the milete is a highly sculpted ornamental box.

Modern Makonde carvings differ from the traditional carvings in the variety they offer. Items such as chess boards, scrabble boards, and candle holders are among the most recent products.  All these carvings can be used in creating an African-themed interior décor, among other things.

By Matengo Chwanya

Sources: Zyama

Africa Global News Publication