Images(3)

Ndop cloth

Date20th century

Label TextSecrets Embedded in Symbols Blue cloths with white ideograms call people to attention in parts of Cameroon. They proclaim that it is time for law enforcement-someone is about to face the consequences of causing trouble or acting irresponsibly. Some are worn as skirts by leaders, while others are hung behind thrones or stools, like those seen in the center of this gallery. Leaders can read the secrets embedded in the signs which are known as nsibidi. This term is derived from a verb that signifies a person who is mentally agile, able to be cunning and play with double meanings. Unlike most writing systems which strive to reveal knowledge, nsibidi is designed to conceal it from those who haven't passed a sequence of ritual tests. One sign that is generally known is that of triangular patterns, which symbolize a leopard's spots or claws and remind viewers that the initiated members of the Leopard Society are in charge of the proceedings. With such a cloth, ritual space is charged and ready for serious discussions to begin.

Object number81.17.774

ProvenanceCollection of Paul Gebauer (1900-1977), Cameroon; to Katherine White (1929-1980), Seattle, Washington, 1969; bequeathed to Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 1981

Photo CreditPhoto: Paul Macapia

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, African Panoplies: Art for Rulers, Traders, Hunters and Priests, Apr. 21 - Aug. 14, 1998. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Art from Africa: Long Steps Never Broke a Back, Feb. 7 - May 19, 2002 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Oct. 2, 2004 - Jan. 2, 2005; Hartford, Connecticut, Wadsworth Atheneum, Feb. 12 - June 19, 2005; Cincinnati, Ohio, Cincinnati Art Museum, Oct. 8, 2005 - Jan. 1, 2006; Nashville, Tennessee, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Jan. 27 - Apr. 30, 2006 [as African Art, African Voices: Long Steps Never Broke a Back]). Text by Pamela McClusky. No cat. no., pp. 130-1, 133, reproduced pl. 72.

Credit LineGift of Katherine White and the Boeing Company

Dimensions220 x 78 in. (558.8 x 198.12 cm)

MediumCotton, strip weave, and tritik with indigo dye