During annual festivals in the Bamileke kingdom of Cameroon, members of the elite Kuosi society perform in elaborate Aka elephant masks decorated with multicolored glass beads and cowrie shells. How do the material choices and performance of this masquerade function to reinforce the community's political structure?
- By displaying rare, imported beads that signal allegiance to the king (Fon) while using dynamic movement to project the combined power of the elephant and the leopard.Answer
- BBy presenting the mask as a static sculpture inside the royal treasury to signify the permanent, unchanging nature of the king's rule.
- CBy executing a solitary, quiet performance to initiate a shamanistic trance that guarantees successful hunting and agricultural abundance.
- DBy inviting audience members to hammer iron nails and beads into the wood to activate its judicial authority and seal alliances.
Answer
By displaying rare, imported beads that signal allegiance to the king (Fon) while using dynamic movement to project the combined power of the elephant and the leopard.
The correct answer is correct because the Bamileke Aka elephant mask is a status object commissioned and worn by the Kuosi, an elite society of warriors and court officials. The materials used—imported glass beads and cowrie shells obtained through trade—are indicators of high wealth, status, and proximity to the king (Fon), who controlled the trade of these luxury goods. In performance, the dynamic movements of the dancers, who wear the masks with long panels that move with the music, imitate the power and majesty of elephants and leopards, symbolizing the political power and military might of the Fon and his court to maintain order.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
The political and ritual functions of African masquerade and performance arts, specifically how material wealth, patronage, and movement cooperate to assert authority.