Though art is traditionally considered a thing in itself, which exists only for the sake of inspiring new ideas and stretching the audience’s imagination beyond belief, African art has never been devoid of a purpose; quite on the contrary, every single element of an artwork created by the representatives of African culture bears its own unique meaning. Once these elements are combined, a unique work of art is produced, which the famous Lega figure bust is a graphic example of. Despite the fact that the Lega people are not very numerous, their art legacy is truly amazing. Incorporating the Lega traditions and philosophy, the given work of art not only informs on the fact that the Lega people had unique morals and values, as well as that in the culture of Lega people, but special attention was also paid to personality and the ways in which its numerous traits are manifested through facial expressions.
The Lega art piece in question is supposed to have both a ritual purpose and a symbolic meaning. Seeing how the mask is made of rather expensive and rare material, it can be assumed that it was used only during very rare ceremonies – annual celebrations, perhaps – and had a rather festive meaning. Since the mask expression, for the lack of a better word, seems rather positive, with what seems to be a genuine smile, it can be suggested that the mask was utilized in the process of performing a certain harvest ritual, or the ritual of worshipping one of the Lega’s gods. Indeed, according to the existing researches, the Lega culture incorporates the elements of a range of other ones, particularly the Bwami nationality.
As Bravmann explains, the culture of the Lega society blends the elements of the colonial Bwamis and the elements of other African cultures: “it is through initiation into Bwami, and through the gradual movement through the grades of Bwami, that the basic values, moral precepts, and principles of Lega culture are taught and perpetuate”1. While very little is known about the purpose of the mask, it is still rather easy to make assumptions in the given case, since the Lega culture is very close to a range of other African ones and, therefore, its elements are rather similar to those of other tribes and nationalities in Africa.
The material, which the mask is made of, also allows for making a number of assumptions regarding not only the purpose of the mask but also its owner and its overall significance for the understanding of the Lega culture. The very act that the entire mask is made of ivory – a very expensive and quite rare material, as a matter of fact – is truly astounding. Though one might consider the use of such rare and obviously expensive material as an attempt to show off an unnecessary chic and luxury, the key idea of introducing the viewers to the key principles of the Lega culture shines through the incredible design of this work of art. The same can be said about the rest of the elements of the mask’s formal description; for instance, when it comes to the analysis of the Lega figurines, an average researcher fails, as a rule, to “elucidate the exact nature of the relationship that he discerns between their forms and the meanings associated with them,”2 Klopper states.
The given issue becomes even more evident as the analysis of the Lega mask is carried out – unlike figurines, which usually have a head and a torso at the very least, the mask is supposed to cover the face only and, thus, the shapes of Lega masks do not vary that much to allow for a full-scale analysis. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that the mask is prolonged, with a blunt upper edge and a sharper lower one. Such a shape, however, indicates that the mask is supposed to imitate a human face instead of covering it fully, which means that the given artwork may also be seen as an attempt of its creator to approach the concept of changing the roles that are traditionally assigned to people within a particular society or community. Therefore, it could be argued that the given mask may be viewed as the symbol of art itself, i.e., the skill of the so-called “shape-shifting,” the ability to wear a mask and hide one’s emotions under cover of seeming lack of emotion. That being said, it is still rather plausible that the mask in question belonged to the member of the Lega community, who was considered very respectable and very wealthy, seeing how the mask was made of ivory.
The cultural principles and ideas of the Lega nation and the way in which they are rendered in the work of art specified above are also very fascinating. The first concept that falls into the eye of the viewer, the obvious metaphor can clearly be considered the Lega cultural trademark. Being influenced by a number of other cultures, including the one of Bwami, the Lega people have incorporated the experiences, visions, aspirations, and ambitions of their predecessors in their artworks, including sculptures, graphic art and other types of artworks, masks also falling into the category of the objects that are supposed to contain a range of hidden innuendoes and messages.
Lega’s ability to combine the elements that may seem incompatible into a single metaphor in a work of art is truly amazing: “Lega metaphors explore standards for living-values and morals, comportment, social and familial relationships, and legal, ethical, religious, and political codes,”3 as Cameron points out. Particularly in the given art, social metaphors can be traced, especially in the design choices and the shape of the mask. For instance, the material, i.e., the ivory, can be interpreted as the metaphor for the power of the wealthy and the respected ones, as well as the introduction to the Lega society and its values.
As Ezra stresses, “materials such as gold, powder, scepters, ceremonial canes, weapons, and, of course, headdresses and chairs, are heavily charged with symbolism4. Seeing how the bust is made of ivory, one could argue that the artwork is a symbolic representation of those beholding power in the Lega community. However, when aiming at portraying the elite of the community, the artist might also want to drop some hints regarding the integral part of being rich and well-recognized, such as expensive decorations, etc. The bust, however, lacks any indications that it belongs to or represents a powerful and wealthy man – there are no decorations whatsoever. In addition, the facial expression carved into the bust creates an unsettling feeling that the bust was designed to represent the value of life.
Another element of the bust design, the disproportional features deserve being mentioned. It is quite easy to notice that the face does not lack symmetry much, yet it is clearly different from the usual method of portraying people, even in the Lega culture; for example, the nose seems to be too oblong, and the eyes might seem way too squinty. In addition, the way in which the mouth is designed also raises a number of questions, the first one concerning the meaning of the notches on the mouth. These notches may be interpreted either as teeth, or as stitches, both tying the artwork to the very basis of the Lega culture and, most importantly, rituals. According to Visona, Poynor, and Cole, the initiation rituals, which are traditionally the focus of a research on Bwami people, presupposes secrecy and restraint, both from the shaman and the person that is being initiated5. Consequently, it is crucial that not a single word should escape either of the two, which the bared teeth or, presumably, stitches in the mouth of the bust may be symbolic of.
Every single element of the bust seems to make a reference to the Bwami society, “a hierarchically graded association to which all Lega men and women aspire to belong,”6 as Clarke clarifies. The concept of a hierarchy, however, is not as explicit as the two previously mentioned ones and can only be noticed in the choice of the material.
Speaking of the person, whom the bust was intended for, one must mention that none of the existing sources states without a moment of hesitation the purpose and the true meaning of the mask. Regardless of the fact that the mask was obviously made for celebrating certain events, it is still unclear whether the bust was supposed to be in possession of the honorable members of the tribe, the shaman, the leader, or any other member of the ancient representatives of the Lega community. It can be assumed, though, that the mask in question was supposed to be kept by a shaman or any other member of the community, who is considered rich and powerful enough to affect the destiny of its other members. It can also be assumed that the bust was owned by the leader, mostly because of the fact that it was made of such an expensive material. The reasons for having the bust around, however, are not quite clear in this case.
One of the many busts created by the Lega artists, the one under discussion is not merely an artifact; unlike other works of art, which have no actual purpose and mainly serve as a means to convey the artist’s personal beliefs and convictions, the Lega bust in the picture above is filled with a secret meaning and is, in fact, designed to demonstrate the peculiarities of the Lega culture and traditions. Through deciphering its meaning and purpose may be complicated, the Lega bust in the picture above is obviously more than a token element of the African culture. Instead, it serves as not only the representation of the Lega culture morals and values but also as the link between different African cultures, seeing how it incorporates the elements that are typical for most of them.
Bibliography
Bravmann, Rene. “Lega Culture: Art, Initiation, and Moral Philosophy among a Central African People by Daniel Biebuyck.” African Arts 7, no. 3 (1974): 82–84. Web.
Cameron, Elisabeth. “Art of the Lega: Meaning and Metaphor in Central Africa.” African Arts 35, no. 2 (2002): 44–65, 92. Web.
Clarke, Christa. “A Personal Journey: Central African Art from the Lawrence Gussman Collection.” African Arts 34, no. 1 (2001): 16–35, 93. Web.
Ezra, Kate. “Contemporary African Art by Sidney Littlefield Kasfir.” African Arts 34, no. 1 (2001): 11–12, 93. Web.
Klopper, Sandra. “Speculations on Lega Figurines.” African Arts 19, no. 1 (1985): 64–68, 94. Web.
Visona, Monica B., Poynor, Robin and Herbert M. Cole. A History of ART in Africa. London, UK: Pearson Education, 2007: 414-416. Web.
Footnotes
1 Rene Bravmann, “Lega Culture: Art, Initiation, and Moral Philosophy among a Central African People by Daniel Biebuyck,” African Arts 7, no. 3 (1974): 83.
2 Sandra Klopper, “Speculations on Lega Figurines,” African Arts 19, no. 1 (1985): 64.
3 Elisabeth Cameron, “Art of the Lega: Meaning and Metaphor in Central Africa,” African Arts 35, no. 2 (2002): 50.
4 Kate Ezra, “Contemporary African Art by Sidney Littlefield Kasfir,” African Arts 34, no. 1 (2001): 11.
5 Monica B. Visona, Robin Poynor, and Herbert M. Cole, A History of ART in Africa (London, UK: Pearson Education, 2007), 414.
6 Christa Clarke, “A Personal Journey: Central African Art from the Lawrence Gussman Collection,” African Arts 34, no. 1 (2001): 31.