OUR COLLECTION — AFRICA — LIBERIA 566. EVA'S NATIVITY
This cloth Nativity is made by Eva in Monrovia, Liberia. The set includes 10 figures: Joseph, Mary, baby Jesus, an angel dressed in white with wings made from dried calabash gourds, a shepherd with staff, two sheep, and three wise men with gifts. Each wise man has a cowrie shell on his headdress. The artisan's attention to detail and the careful stitching are impressive. Each Nativity set is one-of-a-kind due to the unique fabrics used. Each set's Joseph and Mary are dressed in the same fabric for unity. The Joseph figure measures 5 inches tall.
Eva survived the Second Liberian Civil War by hiding in The Bush during the fighting. She ate things that she could scavenge like "kiss me shells"--snail meat eaten by sucking it out of the shell, like kissing it. One of the wise men in Eva's Nativity holds this snail shell as his gift. Eva lost her husband in the war and now cares for her children alone. She has developed her own original craft designs to support her family. Eva sews her Nativity figures using colorful cloth known as lappa in Liberia. Local women wear this cloth as a wrap skirt, or have custom items sewn to wear.
Eva survived the Second Liberian Civil War by hiding in The Bush during the fighting. She ate things that she could scavenge like "kiss me shells"--snail meat eaten by sucking it out of the shell, like kissing it. One of the wise men in Eva's Nativity holds this snail shell as his gift. Eva lost her husband in the war and now cares for her children alone. She has developed her own original craft designs to support her family. Eva sews her Nativity figures using colorful cloth known as lappa in Liberia. Local women wear this cloth as a wrap skirt, or have custom items sewn to wear.