Bull necklace (Norkiteng)

Label TextA wedding is the moment for defining feminine beauty in many cultures. Among Maasai women, a bride is given all the ornaments she needs to begin her new life. The art in this case was created by Maasai women from the Merrueshi community of the Kaputiei section of Kenya. Their intent was to demonstrate how a bride's costume is a personalized collection of beadwork, stories and wishes for the future. Each is composed of cowhide, glass beads, wire and plastic dividers. One aspect of Maasai aesthetics is immediately evident. Colors-and their order of placement-are carefully controlled, both due to their meaning and to the need for balance in the interaction of opposites. Certain colors are designated as strong or weak and must not be placed side by side. Blocks of color are often finished off with a black and white rim of beads, a frame that is associated with a need for a break or cut. Nothing is meant to be continuous or unbroken, because mixture is a fact of life and needs to be recognized in the patterns. Underlying symbolism in colors are: blue as a reference to the sky and the one god, Enkai; green for the grass that feeds their beloved herds of cattle; and white as the color of milk from livestock.

Maasai art is familiar to tourists who travel to Kenya and Tanzania to see giraffes near the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro, lions on the Serengeti plains and elephants in Tsavo National Park. Animals tend to take center stage during tourist safaris, as visitors watch out for each species of bird and animal they see. However, the Maasai who live in this region are all too often regarded as silent photogenic subjects, without names, communities or distinctive artistry. How did this stance toward Maasai culture become established? When a young Maasai came to Seattle in 1999, he was able to break this impression and establish new ideas about how museums collect art from communities.

Object number2000.12.2

ProvenanceDonated to the museum by members of the Merrueshi community in exchange for funding a classroom in 2000, coordinated by Kakuta Maimai Hamisi

Photo CreditPhoto: Paul Macapia

What if Maasai were to decide what Maasai art belongs in the museum?

Kakuta Ole Maimai Hamisi, 1999

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, A Maasai Community Adorns a Bride, May 31, 2001 - Mar. 1, 2005. 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. 260, 273, 276, reproduced pls. 101 and 107. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Lessons from the Institute of Empathy, Mar. 31, 2018 - ongoing.Published ReferencesEisenhofer, Stefan, African Art, Editor Norbert Wolf, 2010, pg 86, illustrated pg. 87, www.taschen.com

Credit LineGeneral Acquisition Fund

DimensionsDiameter: 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm)

MediumWire, glass beads, and plastic