"Since earliest human history, peoples around the globe have pondered their origins: Where do we come from? How did the world begin? In grappling with these fundamental questions, we developed a myriad of theories concerning our beginnings. "Every community in the world," according to historian Jan Vansina, "has a representation of the origin of the world, the creation of mankind, and the appearance of its own particular society and community." In many African cultures, these exalted ideas of "genesis" have been made tangible through rich expressive traditions interweaving oral history, poetry, and sculpture. This volume, which accompanies an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, examines the staggering variety of ways in which African sculptors have given expression to social ideas of origin, from the genesis of humanity to the historical sources of families, kingdoms, agriculture, and other essential institutions. The seventy-five masterpieces presented here, drawn from public and private American collections, are among the most celebrated icons of African art, works that are superb artistic creations as well as expressions of a society's most profound conceptions about its beginnings. All are reproduced in color and are accompanied by entries that illuminate the distinctive cultural contexts that inspired their creation and informed their appreciation."--BOOK JACKET.

Pondering the origins of the world and their own ancestry, African societies often sought to provide answers to these and other perplexing concepts in their oral traditions, poetry, and art. The Bamana people of Mali, for example, attributed the invention of agriculture and their understanding of the earth, animals, and plants to a mythical hero called Chi Wara, shown in sculptural form as a roan antelope. The elegant Chi Wara headdresses were created in wood in male-female pairs and worn during agricultural ceremonies. This stimulating volume examines the Chi Wara headdress as an icon of African sculpture and presents forty examples of this well-known form. -- Metropolitan Museum of Art website.