OUR COLLECTION — AFRICA — SENEGAL 206. BLACKWOOD NATIVITY
This unique African Nativity is handcrafted by a group of young men in Senegal who are striving to rise out of poverty and become self-sustaining. The four hand-carved silhouettes are made of African blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon), one of the densest and most expensive hardwoods in the world. From the left, the silhouettes portray an African baobab tree next to a shepherd and longhorn cattle (characterizing the African nomadic tradition). The next silhouette portrays the Nativity scene of the Holy Family in a stable. A donkey, which is still widely used as a form of transportation in Africa, stands to the family’s right. Finally, a group of huts on the right typify rural habitation, still a common way of life despite the exodus to big cities.
The four silhouettes sit on pegs that fit into the Senegal rosewood box (Pterocarpus erinaceus), a very dense and rare hardwood indigenous to only a few places in West Africa. The box serves both as a display stand and also as a storage case because the bottom of the box opens to store the blackwood silhouettes. The box also contains cutouts for 3 small tea light candles to backlight the blackwood pieces that have small holes in them to allow the light to shine through the pieces. The rosewood box measures 18.5 inches long by 3.5 inches wide by 2.5 inches high. The blackwood pieces add 2 inches more in height when they are inserted into the box.
This set comes in a padded fabric bag embellished with a piece of Malian mudcloth. Each Nativity’s mudcloth is unique and one-of-a-kind.
Mudcloth is a traditional African fabric originating in Mali. The cotton is often raised on small, family farms, using very simple, labor intensive methods. After being picked and cleaned, it is spun into rough yarns. The cloth is first handspun, then handwoven, by the men of the village. The loom is hand-held and produces small strips which are then combined to form larger pieces of cloth. Not only is this time-consuming, but 7 to 10 strips are needed, each around 5 to 6 feet long, in order to create an average size fabric piece! The strips are connected by a worker, either entirely by hand or with a hand-operated sewing machine.
The women usually do the designing of the mudcloth’s pattern. First the item is soaked in a tea from the Bogolon tree native to Mali. This stain acts like a fixative for the colors to come. Then organic substances are mixed with soils (hence the “mud”) and allowed to age, often for up to a year, until they reach the correct formulation. This process also takes years for the creators to learn, as not only hues, but also their reactions with cloth and fixatives must be known. Finally, they are individually applied according to the artist’s desire. Various layers and combinations are used. Next, the work is soaked in a solution which brings out the patterns. If the color white is required, these areas need extra attention to rebleach with a soda. The entire process takes weeks to months for each item, not counting all the prior preparation by the artists and weavers. All patterns and colors on mudcloth have meaning.
The four silhouettes sit on pegs that fit into the Senegal rosewood box (Pterocarpus erinaceus), a very dense and rare hardwood indigenous to only a few places in West Africa. The box serves both as a display stand and also as a storage case because the bottom of the box opens to store the blackwood silhouettes. The box also contains cutouts for 3 small tea light candles to backlight the blackwood pieces that have small holes in them to allow the light to shine through the pieces. The rosewood box measures 18.5 inches long by 3.5 inches wide by 2.5 inches high. The blackwood pieces add 2 inches more in height when they are inserted into the box.
This set comes in a padded fabric bag embellished with a piece of Malian mudcloth. Each Nativity’s mudcloth is unique and one-of-a-kind.
Mudcloth is a traditional African fabric originating in Mali. The cotton is often raised on small, family farms, using very simple, labor intensive methods. After being picked and cleaned, it is spun into rough yarns. The cloth is first handspun, then handwoven, by the men of the village. The loom is hand-held and produces small strips which are then combined to form larger pieces of cloth. Not only is this time-consuming, but 7 to 10 strips are needed, each around 5 to 6 feet long, in order to create an average size fabric piece! The strips are connected by a worker, either entirely by hand or with a hand-operated sewing machine.
The women usually do the designing of the mudcloth’s pattern. First the item is soaked in a tea from the Bogolon tree native to Mali. This stain acts like a fixative for the colors to come. Then organic substances are mixed with soils (hence the “mud”) and allowed to age, often for up to a year, until they reach the correct formulation. This process also takes years for the creators to learn, as not only hues, but also their reactions with cloth and fixatives must be known. Finally, they are individually applied according to the artist’s desire. Various layers and combinations are used. Next, the work is soaked in a solution which brings out the patterns. If the color white is required, these areas need extra attention to rebleach with a soda. The entire process takes weeks to months for each item, not counting all the prior preparation by the artists and weavers. All patterns and colors on mudcloth have meaning.