Chokwe! : art and initiation among the Chokwe and related peoples /

This major exhibition catalog is an important addition to the corpus of African art publications, providing a readable overview of the art, history, political and religious systems, gender relations, and medical practices of a complex of African peoples in Angola and Zambia. Seven essays provide contextual information on women's and men's initiation, healing, leadership, and divination, each combining historical depth with recent fieldwork. Of particular note is the inclusion of essays by scholars who are members of the cultures under examination. Though the essays range in style, the book is most appropriate for post-secondary levels. It also offers a wealth of visual documentation, with more than 150 reproductions of objects and many field photographs of masks and other art forms in use. Jordan, curator at the Birmingham Museum of Art, conducted extensive fieldwork in Zambia. He has assembled an exhibition of objects from important public and private collections, creating a publication that represents a thorough review of the arts of the Chokwe and related peoples. This is the first presentation of the arts of the region to provide both beautiful reproductions of fine objects and thorough documentation of their uses in people's lives. All levels. V. Rovine University of Iowa

Magnificently loaded with elegant plates of ceremonial and tribal objects from the Chokwe tribe and others in Angola, this exhibition catalog accompanies a show originating at the Birmingham Museum of Art in Alabama; editor Jord n, who spent more than two years with the Chokwe and related tribes, is the museum's curator. The objects are mostly carved wood, but their polished, stylized vision of people and nature and the variety and especially the depth of feeling in masks raise them far above craft. The pieces are shown alone, as in a museum exhibit, with art stressed more than anthropology. To remedy this, seven scholarly articles by authorities on the Chokwe appear throughout, along with photos of native life. While this puts into context objects like whistles, thrones, and the intriguing divination baskets full of tiny magical charms, it has a somewhat choppy effect. One of a series of books on African art by Prestel (e.g., African Art from the Han Corey Collection, LJ 6/15/98 ), this covers a seldom-visited area rich in heritage. For larger art-oriented and college libraries.ÄGay W. Neale, Southside Virginia Community Coll. Lib., Alberta (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.