Konso artist. Memorial stela (waakaa or waga), 19th century. Wood, metal, 52 1/2 x 6 1/2 x 3 1/4 in. (133.4 x 16.5 x 8.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Serge and Jodie Becker-Patterson, 2000.94.4. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2000.94.4_edited.jpg)
Konso artist. Memorial stela (waakaa or waga), 19th century. Wood, metal, 52 1/2 x 6 1/2 x 3 1/4 in. (133.4 x 16.5 x 8.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Serge and Jodie Becker-Patterson, 2000.94.4. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.2000.94.4_print_bw.jpg)
Memorial stela (waakaa or waga)
Arts of Africa
Stelae (waaka or waaga in the Konso language) memorialize specific male Konso ancestors. Waaka emphasize an ancestor’s individual deeds, as well as his connection to shared experiences and values. They appear on outdoor platforms with other sculptures. Waaka only memorialize xhe’tallitta (heroes), certain religious dignitaries, or warrior-hunters. The man at center wears a warrior’s bracelets and stacked necklaces. His hand rests on his phallus, unlike figures of castrated, defeated warriors. Representing a wife and mother, the jewelry-adorned woman at left would stand alongside him. As the wooden posts decay outdoors, the deceased joins the larger ancestral community. In contrast, the Huastec sculpture at right was carved in stone to be permanent. This ongoing Konso memorial practice has precedents dating back as far as the eleventh or thirteenth century.
CULTURE
Konso artist
MEDIUM
Wood, metal
DATES
19th century
DIMENSIONS
52 1/2 x 6 1/2 x 3 1/4 in. (133.4 x 16.5 x 8.3 cm) (show scale)
COLLECTIONS
Arts of Africa
ACCESSION NUMBER
2000.94.4
CREDIT LINE
Gift of Serge and Jodie Becker-Patterson
EXHIBITIONS
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
CAPTION
Konso artist. Memorial stela (waakaa or waga), 19th century. Wood, metal, 52 1/2 x 6 1/2 x 3 1/4 in. (133.4 x 16.5 x 8.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Serge and Jodie Becker-Patterson, 2000.94.4. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2000.94.4_edited.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 2000.94.4_edited.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
RIGHTS STATEMENT
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply.
Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply).
For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch.
For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright.
If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
RECORD COMPLETENESS
Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.
