The tree used for putting on the grave is
called ‘Olumwanyi’ (singular) and ‘Emimwanyi’ (plural). This symbolises a grave and that people
should keep away from.
Eria said this tree is also used for marking
boundaries between land – therefore symbolising keep out.
Couldn’t get internet today, depends on the
weather and time on the day!
Went out with David to look at the Kasese
Museum which turned out to be a stack of shelves in a corner of a craft shop,
but as l discovered there was a bit more to it than that, although very
mixed. A few knives, chicken baskets,
bellows, grinding stones, stools for king/chiefs and domestic smaller bottoms,
storage jars – some for cooking usually with lids made of clay, ones without
handles generally storage of water (or beans, etc) and those used for herbal
medicine with handles and a stripy one also used by herbalists – crafts people
very much linked with making objects like this for herbalists and even witch doctors.
Other items were snake python skins mainly
– a very badly stuffed leopard, a model of a gorilla and a sort of model of a
lion cub under the table. A banana leaf
container for long term storage of maize.
Bark cloth mallets. Milk
container – old and new (but maybe more for the tourist – are they used
seriously now by people bought here or in the market?)
Then we had a very hot shop Perlucy’s
groceries but also yams for me to cast, one with rat teeth marks. Also purchased a rat trap which was very
shakey but full of character for
10,000/-
Before this l picked up some seed pods which
look like mini trees or bushes and wondered whether they would burn out in a
casting. Will perhaps walk around
tomorrow and pick up things of interest.
On the way back we saw a lady herbalist with
colourful bottles of liquid on sagging shelves and around the back she was
boiling up two sorts of bark to make some medicine.
Gave a lecture about my work, which caused a
lot of discussion between us, which was really good. Winnie asked some more
penetrating questions, likewise Emmanuel, Eria and David. Winnie noticed that the work has got further
away from African content/style in recent times. They were interested to see how l had taken
ideas from African ethnography and re-interpreted it in terms of my own work to
show. E confirmed the idea that, African
religious objects were not seen as art by the Africans – Western view of course
of ethnographic objects becoming art and critical evaluation and debate by the
West. There was a bit of debate about
the ‘non-object and thingness’ as related to art history to explain this
further eg. Minimalism to performance art, doing away with the object
altogether, and the artist becoming the artwork itself eg. Yoko Ono with the
public cutting pieces of clothing from her body and left vulnerable. Through to more philosophical thought about
reality and illusion eg. Plato’s cave idea.
We will go to meet an elder tomorrow at 2pm to
talk about stories and past history.
Tomorrow is Independence Day so it is a holiday.
Friday we will meet Johnson to discuss going
on safari to Queen Elizabeth Park on Sunday.
Monday we/I will do the workshop and questionnaire with the founders and
document with photos and text.
Other things mentioned after the talk:
They were saying that they didn’t think there
was a secret society such as the Giriama Gohu Society in Bakonjo.
David, when introduced to the next
project/workshop concerning objects of importance that they might bring in told
us about the ‘dog’ that he made using sticks and various materials, which came
alive to him when he moved it about like dog and the excitement of making this
– his parents often told him off for spending time doing this.
Plants can be totems as well as animals –
animals were introduced by the chief (or king) to reduce the number of animals
killed – there still seems to be a respect amongst people to live in tandem
with the environment and what it offers.
However there will always be hunters – today a Mongoose (stripy) was
killed by hunters on the land with three big dogs.
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