PONGO (BARKCLOTH WITH DRAWINGS)
[1-3,12,13]: PONGO (BARKCLOTH WITH DRAWINGS)
[4]: 1939 documentary showing Mbuti men producing barkcloth
[5]: Mbuti women collaboratively composing a drawing on barkcloth in Zaire.
[6]: Drawn on the face and barkcloth, these lines and shapes are intentionally representative of the Ituri forest in which the Mbuti dwell. See notes below.
[7-11] Mbuti motifs with their meanings in Kimbuti and English.
[14,15]: Barkcloths with different drawings and compositions. Notice the repetition and subtle pattern in perfect tension with the asymetric moments in each example
[16]: We will explore the kolia (barkcloth beater) further in future posts…
[17]: Efe camp in the Ituri forest
From: Mbuti culture, Democratic Republic of the Congo 🇨🇩Source [1-3,12,13]: @andresmoragatextiles, @lacma
Source [4]: “PYGMIES OF AFRICA” Documentary, 1939 by Encyclopedia Britannica Films. Seen on @internetarchive
Source [5]: Alexandra Sharp on Alamy
Source [6👩🏾🦱]: @handoreye
Source [6🌳,17]: @britannica
Source [7-11]: ”Barkcloth Designs of Mbuti Women” by Barry S. Hewlett & L.L. Cavalli-Sforza. Published in Human Mosaic: A Journal Of The Social Sciences Vol 25 1991 No.s 1 & 2
Source [14,15]: @materialcultureinc
Source [16]: @tribalgatheringlondon
Source notes [6👩🏾🦱]:
The bark is collected in the forest, and initially processed, by the men. The women then take over, softening the material and decorating it with natural forest pigments. Usually, two women collaborate on a design, utilizing motifs similar to those used in body-painting. The resulting compositions can resemble a view of the earth from above, a view of the night sky, or abstractions of natural patterns of foliage, animal tracks, and other textures of the forest…traditionally worn as skirts or loincloths for important dances…also used to swaddle infants, the protection of the bark a manifestation of the nurturing forest itself.
Observations:
meaningful ornament, material intelligence, material awareness, sustainable production, consistent design language, design in response to nature, iconography, women in graphic design, multipurpose use, visual harmony, balanced asymmetry.