MoAW presents
Spotlight
FACES OF AFRICA
A Mystical View of Tribal Heritage
The Circle of Eternity
BECOME A DONOR
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Contemporary shutter detail symbolizing tribal unity,
Congolese design.
Emanating along the path of life, each diamond square symbolizes an individual, tribal community, or nation entering the "Circle of Eternity." As a result, each encounter of the ribboned path of others creates a mosaic in the center. As they exit the circle to resume their paths, all are transformed by the encounter, an age-old message emerges, signifying unity for all mankind. This contemporary graphic design from South Africa is protected by an ancient Habe Warrior Tribesman from 11th century Nigeria and on view exclusively at the Museum of Ancient Wonders through February 15, 2022.
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"Africa changes you forever, like nowhere on earth. Once you have been there, you will never be the same. But how do you begin to describe its magic to someone who has never felt it? How can you explain the fascination of this vast, dusty continent, whose oldest roads are elephant paths? Could it be because Africa is the place of all our beginnings, the cradle of mankind, where our species first stood upright on the savannahs of long ago?" Brian Jackman, Award-winning British travel and wildlife journalist.
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Buffalo Mask, (Bush Cow)
Bobo Tribe, Upper Volta.
Living in the Upper Volta region of Burkina Faso and Mali and regulated by a council of elders from all lineages, their homes are shared with generations of family members. The head of the household or father of the house is known as the “Wakoma.” The spirits of the masks are used to chase evil from their community and to purify the land for successful planting. Lasting for three days before the season and after harvest, dances are held to bring nature’s equilibrium and harmony to crops and preserve the health of cattle with drums and bells.
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Makonde Tribal Mask,
Tanzania
The Makonde of East Africa live in a vast wilderness containing the Serengeti and Kilimanjaro National Parks which are populated by great apes, elephants, lions, leopards, buffalo, and rhino. Upon colonization by the Portuguese, the Makonde tribal masks became very popular in Europe. Decorated with buffalo hair and carved from wood, this mask was used by tribal members long before contact with Catholic missionaries in the nineteenth century. Worn to invite and provoke deceased ancestral spirits to share in coming-of-age rituals and joyful festivities, the mask furnishes a bond between the ancestors and nature.
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Ngere Tribal Mask,
Congo
A sub-group of the Dan tribal complex, the Ngere, created spirit masks from wood with naturally sculpted generic facial features to act as intermediaries for the transmission of petitions or offerings of respect to the gods. Ancestral spirits demand the creation of ceremonial masks in their honor by appearing in vivid dreams and visions in the minds of the living. Believing that spirits of the dead dwell in nature, the individual donning the mask becomes an emissary bestowing fertility upon those who witness the dance or peacefully resolving a difficult situation for all concerned within the tribal community. The mask and the entranced individual transmit spiritual power in ritual ceremonies.
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N’Tomo Mask,
Bamana Tribe,
Mali
One of the largest West African states in Mali established by dynasties of tribesmen dating before the 15th century, the Bamana peoples and federations of other related clansmen established a vast and powerful empire. N’tomo secret initiation societies are designed to furnish instruction in all aspects of life including marriage, death, and coming of age. The number of vertical rods that crown the head of this ritual mask equates to a person of eminence, someone well-versed in the spirit world and its rituals. Symbols of wealth and position, each rod is decorated with cowry shells. Males traditionally carry three or six rods, females, four or eight rods, and the androgynous, two, five, or seven. This mask carries 9. Applied on the faces of mature males to serve as protection for young boys during their initiation cycle before circumcision, the ritual dance fortifies them in their transition to adulthood.
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Members of the Desert Hot Springs and Cathedral City Historical Societies.
MoAW's mission is to educate a diverse audience about the history of ancient civilizations and prehistoric life using fossils and artifacts from a variety of cultures and time periods; to enhance universal curriculum development for local and surrounding school districts, colleges, and universities while establishing museum diversity for the Coachella Valley.
Hours of Operation:
Monday - Saturday
10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Sunday 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m.
The last admission is taken one hour before closing.
Admission:
$15.00 Adults
$12.00 Students, Seniors, & Military
$ 3.00 Discount available for Coachella Valley Residents
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, MoAW is a member of the North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) Association, the American Alliance of Museums, and the California Association of Museums.
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Coming Attraction
March through September 2022
the Museum of Ancient Wonders
presents
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VESSELS OF THE GODS
Treasures of the Ancient Greeks
1650 to 410 B.C.E
Reflecting the brilliance of a millennium of ancient Aegean culture, four distinct periods produced the designs of these vases: Minoan, Mycenaean, Corinthian, and Attic. Essentially consisting of silhouetted figures drawn against a background of red, black, or white, this art form gradually dies out after the Persian wars, c. 475-450 B.C.E. Shaped and painted by hand, these exquisite reproductions were created in Greece by master artists from the originals housed in The National Museum, Athens, The Heraklion Museum, The Thera Museum, The Corinth Museum, The Delphi Museum, The Louvre Museum, The Vatican Museum, and The Museo Civico, Brescia.
Please, feel free to preview this collection on MoAW's website: www.moaw.org
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Next Week:
Do you have a favorite piece at MoAW you would like to see highlighted in our weekly email? You can visit www.moaw.org, see the collections tab, visit the catalogs, and view Spotlights From The Past.
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Members Perks
The newest perk of membership: Free admission to over 1,200 museums nationwide through the North American Reciprocal Museum Program (NARM) Plus, discounts at their museum shops and restaurants (if given to their members). Local museums include the Palm Springs Art Museum and Cabot's Pueblo Museum, several museums in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, throughout California, all 50 states, and the District of Columbia, plus Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda. This is available to all members at the Donor Level ($125.00) or higher. Current members who qualify will be receiving new membership cards with the NARM logo to be used at participating museums.
Current members who would like to upgrade their membership to take advantage of this new benefit please give us a call, (442) 268-5004.
Click below for more information and to join.
THANK YOU
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ON DISPLAY EXCLUSIVELY
AT THE
MUSEUM OF ANCIENT WONDERS
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FACES OF AFRICA:
A Mystical View of
Tribal Heritage
(38 Replica Masks and Sculptures)
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TUTANKHAMUN:
"Wonderful Things"
Treasures From The Pharaoh's Tomb
(124 Egyptian replicas)
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MESOZOICA:
The Age of Dinosaurs
(Approximately 100 fossil-cast dinosaur elements and fully-mounted skeletons from around the world.)
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LUCY:
The Story of Human Origins
(Courtesy of the Institute of Human Origins and the National Museum of Ethiopia,
Addis Ababa)
On view exclusively at the
Museum of Ancient Wonders
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