CCA JSS 3

Week 2

 Topic: Nigerian Art

Every tribe has an art tradition­, the art tradition is as old as human existance. Nigeria is a country that has many ethnic groups, languages, culture and art styles. This art styles have different characteristics, similarities and functions.

Types of Nigerian traditional art

i. Nok art

ii. Igbo Ukwu art

iii. Benin art

iv. Ife art

v. Tada bronze art

1. Nok art: Is a town in the southern part of kaduna, in kaduna state. The first discovery of the most ancient Nigerian traditional art was made there. The first sculpture found there a was traditional baked clay (Terra cotta) around 900 to 500 BC. Nok culture covers a wide area from jamaa to benue valley to katsina ala. The artworks found there are human figures, animal figures, insects and some domestic and social objects. The artworks were meant or used for social, political and religious purposes.

2. Igbo Ukwu art: Is the name of a village near awka in Anambra state. It is situated on a highland. As a result, came a time when there was scarcity of water and the people had to dig wells in other to get water. It was during the digging that some strange objects now known as igbo ukwu were discovered in the twentieth century by Isaiah Anozie, Richard Anozie and Jonah Anozie respectively in their compound. A professor of Archaeology, Thurston shaw from cambridge university, britain was invited in 1958 to study the area but it started in 1959. The works found were made of bronze dated back to 700-1020AD. They were the first traitional art made with iron which consists of vessels and regalia, rope pot, beads, pendants, animal heads and bronze pot.

3. Benin art: Benin is the capital of Edo state. The knowledge of it's art was discovered by the outside world in 1897 when over 60% of it's sculptural bronze works were taken away by Europeans, first to England and later to other parts of the world. Benin art is also referred to as court art because the work centres around the oba of benin. They are made in wood, bronze, terra cotta and stone and also features objects like human beings and animals etc.

4. Ife art: Ile-Ife is located in osun state. According to the yoruba beliefs, Ile-Ife is the place the world was created. There first art known by the outside world was discovered byJohn Goodwin and Richard Lander in 1832 at old Oyo. The work conprises of glass beads and dates back to nineteenth century. 

In 1910, professor Leo Frobenius, a renown german archaeologist arrived Ife to learn about the yoruba god of seas and wealth (Ori Olokun). It is also known as the court art because it centres around the Ooni of Ife. He controls the artists and the art.

5. Tada bronze art: Tada is the name of a village in Niger state of Nigeria. History has it that the bronze works of Tada must have been brought  down by the founder of Nupe kingdom, King Tsoede. He was said to have left Idah (kogi) because of a leadership conflict he had with his brothers in the 16th century and was defeated. Tsoede left Idah with his followers in a bronze canoe to Nupe land. It is assumed that his followers deposited bronze sculptures in various areas they settled in. Tada art are nine in number.

i. The figure of a chief called Gara made up of three cultural figures, two are in Jebba highland and one in Tada village .

ii. A male figure found in Tada, which perhaps is the most important naturalistic sculpture in black Africa.

iii. This consists of two more recent looking figures with one standing bronze regarded as female and another standing with a tuft of hair on the left side of the head.

iv. The fourth group is made up of figures of ostriches and elephants.

Functions of Nigerian Traditional art

1. The art is used to glorify kings.

2. It is used for decoration e.g body tatoos, tribal marks etc

3. It is used as a symbol of rank and honour.

4.  It is used for keeping records of events, trends and norm within a particular time frame.

5. It serves as inspiration to young people, especially those interested in the development of art.

Assignment

1. List the types of Nigerian art.

2. Mention one and give a brief history