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 * [[image:http://www.famsf.org/fam/education/publications/guide-african/part3-34.jpg width="175" height="133" align="bottom" link="http://www.famsf.org/fam/education/publications/guide-african/34.html"]] ||
 * http://www.famsf.org/fam/education/publications/guide-african/part-3-5.html ||

//Why are animal features important in African art?// **AlexUP1:** **This piece of art is a antelope headdress. The features of the animal are very important because it shows power, and authority of the animal. The antelope had both of these features. This is shown by the many horns on the sculpture. This headdress shows many important things about the antelope. Another example of meanings of animals in different cultures are in America. There are two animals: the bald eagle, which symbolizes our country, and the white dove which symbolizes peace. Other areas that (usually) has an animal that symbolizes spirit are colleges, and universtities. The colleges and universities use animals to represent the school. This relates because the animal which have a meaning usually represent something important to that community. But for different communities the animals usually will have a different meaning than another community.**

**GreggC P2**: **Animal features are important in African art because they are used to give the power and authority that the animal you are using has. So if you used the cheetah then it might represent being swift and fast. Another example would be that the dove in the United States of America represents peace. African art is not like other art pieces in some ways. It is made to tell you something not just to look at unlike other types of art pieces around the world. That is why African art that involes animals tells you about that animal.This is something that makes African art unique and different from other types of art around the world.**
 * KristinA P1: Like any culture animals are important and they resemble something. In our case, they resemble African art. You can tell by looking at their art that this is so. The unique quality about animals, are that they can symbolize power, wealth, location and it can teach history. The way they can do this is by for power in African art, the artist could use an animal that is great or strong, like a lion. Or they could use a animal that resembles peace like a dove, and without words, you will know that this piece of art demonstrates peace, and you might think it was used at a ceremony of a new baby or something similar to that. It can symbolize location because if it was a penguin plate, you would know this art took place in a cold place, not Africa. In this way this is how it shows location. Similar to the antelope headdress, African art can teach history. Chiwara society in Bamana culture believed the antelopes taught their ancestors how to farm. Farming was a great task to learn, and the Chiwara people greatly liked being taught this. So, in their culture, a antelope is a special part. Animals are commonly used in African art, and that is what makes it unique. **

**LauraC P7:** **Animal features are important in African Art because when the mask is worn it is meant to give the person wearing it the authority, rank, and/or the power of the original animal. An example that you could use that is not the antelope is the dove. A dove in America is meant to help represent peace. This headdress is meant to represent speed, grace, and power.** //How is the animal in this headdress related to the purpose of the headdress?//
 * MichaelT P6:** **Animal features are important in African art because they are meant to symbolize something and it gives an object power and authority. This animal is very powerful and might have a lot of authority. A lot of cultures have different animals that the feel are important. The animals probably have something special in the tribe that worships the animals culture.**
 * AlexU P1:** **This animal in this headdress, the antelope, is related to the purpose of the headdress by farming. The Bamana people believed that the antelope taught their ancestors how to farm. This headdress was said to be a symbol of farming and plentiful harvest. With that said the Bamana people made this headdress to wear to harvesting festivals. **


 * KristinA P1: The animal in this head dress is related to the purpose because of their ancient myths. The people that wore this head dress (the Chiwara) believed that antelopes taught their ancestors to farm. This head dress is used during harvest festivals. Harvest festivals are when their crops are harvested, but they would not have any harvest or harvest festivals if the antelope didn’t teach them how to farm. By wearing this head dress, they are thanking the antelope for teaching their ancestors how to farm. If the antelope didn’t teach the ancestors how to farm then, they wouldn’t know how to farm and there would be no harvest festival. This is why the antelope is represented in this head dress. **

**GreggC P2: It is related to the purpose because they believe that the antelope or chiwara which is what it means in their language symbolizes good farming and fertile harvest. This was because they believe the antelope taught their ancestors how to farm. So if it hadn't been for the antelope then they would have no idea how to farm. They wore this to harvest festivals so that they would have a good farming season.** **LauraC P7:** **The animal in this headdress is related to the purpose of the headdress because the antelope was thought to have taught the Bamana people's ancestors how to farm. So now this headdress is a symbol of farming and a good harvest. So now this headdress is used in harvest festivals.**

**MichaelT P6 :** **The animal in this headdress is to represent the antelope and Bamana culture (which lived in Mali) believes that this animal taught their people how to farm so the antelope is a symbol of good farming and a plentiful harvest. When the wear it, they probably wore it to get more food if they were low on food.** //Why doesn't the headdress look like an real antelope?//

**AlexU P1: The headdress doesn't look like a real antelope because the artist who made this sculpture was more interested in implying some of the qualities that the antelope had. Some of these qualities are speed, grace, and power. The artist would rather have these special qualities than what the antelope actually looked like. As I said earlier, on this sculpture there are more horns than on a usual antelope. This was to probably symbolize power.**

**KristinA P1: This head dress, doesn't look like a real antelope at all, but in heat and mind it really is. When you look at this piece of art, you have to notice that with your mind. Even though it may not look like a antelope it is one. When you look at this with your eyes, you notice that there is more horns on it than a regular antelope. This symbolized power. They believed it was the antelope that taught their ancestors how to farm, so without it they would have no food. In this way they thought the antelope was a powerful creature, that deserved worship so the artist gave it extra horns. The artist was only interested in showing speed, grace, and power through this head dress, which is another reason why it doesn't look entirely like an antelope**.
 * GreggC P2: It is related to the purpose because they believe that the antelope or chiwara which is what it means in their language symbolizes good farming and fertile harvest. This was because they believe the antelope taught their ancestors how to farm. So if it hadn't been for the antelope then they would have no idea how to farm. They wore this to harvest festivals so that they would have a good farming season. **

**LauraC P7:** **The headdress doesn’t look much like an antelope because the artist that made the piece was not thinking much about the real appearance of the antelope but more about the qualities of them, such as speed, grace, and power. This headdress also has seven horns, the artist gave the headdress several more horns than a normal antelope. The reason for that is that more horns would possibly symbol more power. **

**MichaelT P6:** **This headdress is worn on the side of a mask. The headdress does not look like a antelope because they have 4 antlers probably to symbolize power. Also, the creator of the headdress tried to put more grace, speed and power than the normal appearance of an antelope. He wanted to emphasis the antelope to make it look better than it really was.**