BELVEDERE TIBURON LIBRARY ^'r%< P 1111 01674 3468 Bin? jr Ashanti to ulu AFRICAN TRADITIONS • MARGARET MUSGROVE • PICTURES BY LEO AND DIANE DILLON KS8 OVE m From A to Z, an authentic portrait of twenty-six African tribes, stunningly illustrated by winners of the 1976 and 1977 Caldecott Medal. ASHANTI TO ZULU African Traditions by Margaret Musgrove pictures by Leo and Diane Dillon Caldecott Medal, 1977; ALA Notable, 1976; ALA Children's Books of International Interest, 1976; The New York Times Best Illustrated Books of 1976; The New York Times Outstanding Books of 1976; Kirkus Choice, 1976; The Boston Globe/Horn Book Award Runner-Up, 1977; Horn Book Fanfare Honor List, 1977; AIGA Book Show, 1976; Society of Illustrators Hamilton King Award, 1977. 'The illustrations of twenty-six African tribes are stunning. ... A magnificent book that will not soon be forgotten." —Children's Book Review Service "The magnificently composed pictures are warm with the tones of the earth and rich with authentic details of African life.... An unusually beautiful and brightly informative book which thoroughly deserves its award." —St. Louis Post-Dispatch "Another virtuoso performance.... thechild's eye will be rewarded many times over."—Booklist, starred review "The artwork [is] as beautifully designed as the famous Ashanti kente cloth; its stylized elegance manages to capture both the variety and Vitality of African tribal life." —Library Journal, starred review "The Dillons' paintings are breathtaking recreations of tribal life, authentic in detail and spirit as well. The tribes are arranged alphabetically, making this an advanced ABC book as well. . .. Carefully researched and skillfully executed."—Chicago Sun-Times "The Dillons have done their usual magnificent work.. . . The research done by both author and illustrators is obvious throughout and makes this an outstanding introduction to the African world. ... Truly a book for all ages."—Wilson Library Bulletin Hardcover edition available from Dial Books for Young Readers 375 Hudson Street New York, New York 10014 beb/edere TJBURON UBRARY PICTURES BY LEO AND DIANE DILLON A PUFFIN PIED PIPER i \SHANTI TO ULU AFRICAN TRADITIONS • MARGARET MUSGROVE • To George and Gramma Holden This book has been prepared with great concern for accuracy and detail. The author has lived and studied in Ghana and has done extensive research there, at the University of Massachusetts, and at Yale in order to write this book. In preparing their illustrations, the artists have done considerable further research, consulting numerous publications, The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the New York Public Library Picture Collection, the United Nations Library and Information Office, and the American Museum of Natural History. In order to show as much as possible about each different people, in most paintings they have included a man, a woman, a child, their living quarters, an artifact, and a local animal, though in some cases these different elements would not ordinarily be seen together. Every detail has been studied and rendered accurately, then interpretively drawn together with remarkable artistic insight. The art for this book was prepared in pastels, watercolors, and acrylics. The frames that surround each picture were done in watercolor and black ink. The interwoven design at the corners of each frame is based on the Kano Knot, which symbolizes endless searching—a design originally used in the then-flourishing city of Kano in northern Nigeria during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Text copyright © 1976 by Margaret Musgrove Pictures copyright © by Leo and Diane Dillon All rights reserved Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 76-6610 Typography by Atha Tehon First Pied Piper Printing 1980 Printed in the U.S.A. W 14 16 18 20 19 17 15 While a Rung boy searches for water under the desert sand and a Lozi girl settles into a boat to leave her flooded home, a Dogon farmer is carving his fields into a mountainside, and a Jie herder is grazing his cattle on flat green grasslands. As a Ouadai market woman bargains from beneath the shelter of woven leaves that protects her from the hot sun, a Xhosa woman wraps up in a blanket to keep warm. This is Africa, an enormous and varied continent inhabited by hun¬ dreds of different peoples whose array of customs and traditions are as diverse as the land itself. In this collection of vignettes I have tried to introduce the reader to twenty-six African peoples by depicting a custom important to each. Some of the customs are unique and relate only to a particular people. Others are shared by many peoples, but all reflect African values or philosophies. In spite of the fact that modern technology is bringing new ways and directions to African life, the traditions that have been passed from generation to generation are still respected and practiced. I hope that this collection will give the reader not only a feeling for the vastness of the African continent and the variety of her peoples but for the place that tradition holds at the very heart of African life. In many African languages prefixes are added to denote the plural. For example, when more than one Ndaka person is referred to, the word BaNdaka is used. For the sake of simplicity I have used only the root words throughout. MARGARET MUSGROVE New Haven, Connecticut 1976 _ l\/ Ashanti (uh-shahnt-ee) weavers make a beautiful cloth called kente. They weave it in bright silk threads and give each different de¬ sign a name. One, which is mostly yellow, is called “Gold Dust.” Another, called “When the Queen Comes to Accra,” is a favorite of many Ashanti women. “One Man Cannot Rule a Country” was designed especially for Ghana’s first president. The Ashanti king drapes himself in a special kente that only he may wear. H m i ■ B/To the Baule (bah'-oo-lay) a crocodile holding a big fish in its mouth is a sacred symbol. A Baule legend tells of a war with the Ashanti. The Ashanti had chased the Baule to a deep river. There was no bridge, so the Baule asked the crocodiles to help them across. The crocodiles agreed, but in return they demanded the most precious thing the Baule people had. Tearfully the queen gave them her only son. Then the crocodiles lined up side by side in the water, and the Baule walked across their backs to safety. feci if y 1 A- *■•.*' ^. wm fA f 1 Chagga(chah'guh) children grow up in groups with other children of the same age and sex. Often a group takes a name that sounds brave or proud. The children work, play, and go to school together. In a special initiation ceremony they all become adults at the same time. Chagga priests perform this ceremony in traditional costumes, and sometimes the children’s faces are painted. After a big celebration the children are considered adults. The Dogon (daw-gawn) people are farmers. They live in Mali, where they carve their fields into the rugged mountains like wide flat stairsteps. Then they build stone walls to keep the steps from being washed away by rain or blown away by the wind. —W «L^/ Ewe (ehway) drummers “talk” with drums. A long time ago Ewe drums sent news to people miles and miles away. Today there are telephones and telegraphs in Africa, but the drums still “talk.” On special occasions the Ewe drum and dance together. The “talking” drums tell everyone what the dance is about and what steps to do. These drums have strings stretched from top to bottom all around them. By squeezing the strings against their bodies as they hit the drums, the drummers can make the “voices” higher or lower. W / \ pf w jr * jy 9a JL / The Fanti (fahmtee) offer their guests white bubbly palm wine that has a clean fresh smell. The wine comes from tree trunks, and the Fanti chop down or tap palm trees to get it. People sip it from gourds called calabashes. Before drinking, a person pours a little wine on the ground and says, “Come drink with us.” This is called “pouring libation,” and it is done to honor the ancestors. I Ga (gah) women make foufou by pounding boiled white yams with long thick sticks. This makes the hot yams smooth and pasty. Before eating it the family members roll the steamy foufou between their fingers and dip it into a stew. The whole family eats the foufou from the same bowl. It is Ga tradition to use only the right hand to touch food. "> f /, J tiriH /? 1 HjpIpyyllE.- , /* M} AX 7 //■ ■fJj. jQf / / j " km / ; ■/ lA >1 7* f/ t y jf IKfl 1 If /;if f.fW /f m $0 m MliA Ppl? f ,j y : *1 HI Vmi » y is wi | | v. w r T|| * * u■ « VS'L ^. y! I v u * .. i ^Li rr 1 * \ rp^krWl 14?; V v .f 4: If f 1 Jr ' *’.Jr/ jf /% ,j J' ■* . w *||| |,/» ' 1 IMS B • /ft l ‘ i't\ ‘ .;* 4 1 . 1A I j r M. a./Hausa (how'suh) men are called to prayer five times each day. A strong voice rings out like a song, chanting “Allah is great” from the tower of a mosque. Allah is their god, and Islam is their religion. The mosque is their church. When they hear the call, Hausa men bow low in prayer. i ;» I / The Ikoma (ik-oh'muh) gather honey to eat and sell. There is a tiny bird in their land which loves honey but cannot get into the beehives. When this bird sees a person, it becomes excited and flies to him. Flutter¬ ing and chattering, it leads the way through the bush to a hive. The Ikoma always reward the bird with a gift of honeycomb —otherwise, they say, it may never help them find honey again. iiiijlLt&fri CJ/ The Jie (jee'yuh) are herders in the lovely green land of Uganda. The men spend most of their time roaming the land with their cattle while the women do the farming. Jie men love their animals so much that they name themselves after them. The animals are named for the colors and markings on their skins, and the men take these same names. Am, / The short wiry Kung (koohng) people know where to find water under the desert sand and how to get it. They carry reeds in their skin bags. When they find a place where there is water, they push the reeds into the sand and slowly suck up the water. They store it in huge ostrich eggshells. NMMMN JL#/ The Lozi (low-zee) live by the Zambezi River. Every winter when it floods their land, they get into their boats and move to higher ground. First comes a black-and-white striped barge called the Nalikwanda. On it is a white cabin in which the Paramount Chief and the royal family ride. Boats of all sizes and shapes follow the chiefs barge. Filled with people, stoves, and even cows, they move through the treetops and stilt houses to higher ground. ITMl / Masai (mah-siglT) men groom their long thick hair with red clay and cow grease. Dozens of tiny neat braids flow over their strong lean shoulders. Pulled and looped into fancy styles, the braids flop heavily when they run or jump. It is Masai custom for the women to shave their heads and wear pounds and pounds of jewelry made of beaded iron and copper wire. They soothe the skin under the heavy wires with special leaves and grease. ■. MHMfln <&4 1^1/ Ndaka (n-dah'kuh) people wrap a bride in so much cloth that no one knows how big she is. They circle her head with yards and yards of colorful material and make her a veil of sparkling clinking beads. Ndaka men lift her to their shoulders on a platform of young trees covered with flowers. A cloth stretched above her seat protects her from the hot sun. Flute players and singers dance gaily beside her as she rides to the groom’s village. ...: V^// A Ouadai (wah-dyO market is held under leaf canopies. The sun is very hot, so palm leaves are woven together and stretched over sticks. Market women sit under these shelters and sell dates, meat, cloth, and other things. Their shrill voices call out as their hands and eyes beckon. Customers must bargain with them for fair prices. People shake their heads and walk away, but they come back. Bargaining is serious busi¬ ness, but it’s a lot of fun too. ■—1 "4^ orjfCSf mf ■ 33I\ at ! tl %\ I % £ ; 4* i * By / i J&j ' :C $§r fi K / Pondo (pahmdoe) boys love to spar with sticks. Each boy uses two sticks. He holds one in the middle and uses it to protect himself. He holds the other by the end and tries to hit his opponent with it. Moving rhythmically, the boys dodge and dart, trying to fool each other about where they will strike next. There is only one rule: A boy cannot hit his opponent’s knuckles. The winner’s prize is often the heart or liver of a freshly killed animal. Quimbande (keem-bahn'deh) children can have as many as twenty-five brothers and sisters if their father can afford them. A wealthy Quimbande man can have many wives. Each wife lives with her children in a separate house in his compound. In the middle of the compound is a small yard where the women cook meals and the children play. The man visits the houses of his different wives on different nights. Am./The nomadic Rendille (rehn-deehlay) live in movable houses. The women load their houses and belongings onto donkeys when they move from place to place. These houses are made of branches bent into round shapes and look a little like igloos. The Rendille can take their huts apart whenever they need to move. It is easy for them to put the huts back together again. _ _•__ ■■_■ _ V^/ When a Sotho (soo'too) girl marries, she does not carry a bouquet of flowers. She holds a magic beaded doll. The doll has no arms or legs, but it does have earrings. Its body is a bright beaded cone. It is Sotho custom for the bride to name the doll. Later, when she has her first baby, she gives this same name to her child. . II il i. yT-'V'-’' ;:* ov'^ ;>v .v . :;-,-V.- tv'r'Wi l x'>%; iM: '-•>;■: '•" Jt V dwft •...•■ • - V:' /X'-. t >S?! I?* | «j ■ . ;.■ v-;,; ■ ■ ' .. • §sM$>« iixxtx. X V'x £‘. -v 'V . J . :;i--t js. V^' LX ' . , X;iXX: k : a S'gwriJ <m- $> • M,; -y x-x r£® SM i B%?£, •ATM-i 38 m XX ':^iS X I, i / I ;- ;X ".-X i i 8M '■ &-• / A beautiful Tuareg (twahf-reg) singer sits in front of a tent playing a musical instrument with one string. As the sun sets in the desert sky, she sings in a high voice while Tuareg men sit on the ground and pass around a bowl of milk. They lift their veils to sip. This is ahaI, a Tuareg party. The Tuaregs are called “the people of the veil,” but only the men wear veils. When ahal breaks into small groups, the women will do most of the talking. The men will peer over their veils, listening with great respect to the poetry and stories of the women. _ \*J/ Uge (oo'gay) people collect kola nuts. The nuts are small and hard with pink shells. The Uge chew pieces of them like gum to keep from getting thirsty. After many years of chewing, their teeth become black. Kola nuts are offered to visitors as a sign of friendship and wel¬ come, and priests use them in many important ceremonies. V / The Vai (vy) people of Liberia carry almost everything on their heads. Men, women, and children hold their backs straight and their heads high to balance their loads. Some things that they carry are light, like cloth or small bowls. Other loads are so heavy and wide that a man needs help to get them on his head! Even women with babies on their backs balance heavy trays of food and huge basins of water on their heads. They move gracefully under these loads and almost never drop anything. MMMMNNMMMMMMNBMKnipNI ¥ ft bi I* t\ 4h Awl VV/ Wagenia (wuh-gehmee-uh) fishermen move carefully on catwalks above the dangerous rapids of the Congo River. Over a thousand different kinds of fish fill the river, some of them weighing three hundred pounds. The fishermen check to see if there are any fish in their giant handwoven bamboo traps. Some of the traps are ten feet wide at the mouth and fifteen feet long. It is the job of young Wagenia boys to clean and repair them. -- IhBIHRHIhHhbHh if- IMMHWHMHM| iwBSwPSwwiSiiS 1 I---# p& J 'L i Siv % ./■£: X. / A A/ The Xhosa (koe'suh) people in South Africa wear blankets to keep warm. The blankets are an orangy copper color, but they were white at first. The Xhosa rub a red earth called ochre into the white blankets to get the coppery color. Xhosa men and women are a striking sight wrapped in their copper blankets smoking their long pipes. 1/Yoruba (yawr-uh-buh) artists carve beautiful statues to honor mothers and children. One statue, called an Ibeji, celebrates the birth of twins. If one dies, the Ibeji takes his place and keeps the twins “to¬ gether.” Everything that is done to the living twin is done to the Ibeji. ' 1 ' L*i Leaping, bending, twisting Zulu (zocMoo) dancers salute their new chief. 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