Unveiling the African Tribal Mask

For thousands of years, dating well before Paleolithic times, rituals and ceremonies incorporating traditional masks were and to a lesser extent still are integral parts of African life.  The gradual effects of parceled out territories to Colonial governments, the ensuing damage to traditional economies, and the displacement of huge quantities of people due to Colonialism resulted in economies and food production systems being wrecked.  In general, the vast number of Africa’s people has lost some of their tribal identity and culture, hence masking ceremonies are no longer common place in Africa.

For many centuries, African tribal masks played a major role in:

• Rituals
• Celebrations
• Ceremonial and Tribal Initiations
• Crop Harvesting
• War Preparation
• Times of Peace and Conflict

This stamp is from a set of 12 issued in Guinea in 1965.

During a mask ceremony, the mask-wearing dancer goes into a deep trance where he communicates and brings forth messages of wisdom from his ancestors. Rituals and ceremonies are always accompanied with music and dance, using traditional African musical instruments.

Masks can be worn in three different ways:

1. as face masks, vertically covering the face
2. as helmets, encasing the entire head
3. as crests, resting upon the head and commonly covered by material as part of the disguise

Masks in Africa have great tribal, cultural, and traditional significance.

To begin the sculpting process, a carver offers a sacrifice to the spirit of a tree. Once the tree is felled, the sculptor leaves it for a day or two, so that the spirit of the tree can find a “new home”. Afterwards, he brings the tree to his workshop to start the process of carving the mask.  Prior to sculpting the mask, the artisan purifies himself and performs a prayer, consulting the divine forces and the spirits of his ancestors for guidance. The divine force will then be transferred to the mask during the sculpting process.

Q: “What are some similarities and differences you can recognize and celebrate between the African Mask and something you value in your culture?”

If you are interested in Ethnicitee African Tribal Mask apparel, click here!

A Life Free Of Violence

Violence against women collectively refers to violent acts that are primarily or exclusively committed against women. It cuts across cultural and religious barriers, impeding the right of women to participate fully in society. Similar to a hate crime, this type of violence targets a specific group with the victim's gender as a primary motive. The United Nations General Assembly defines "violence against women" as "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life."

The Cayman Islands issued this stamp image in A “LIFE WITHOUT VIOLENCE: ITS OUR RIGHT" campaign launched by UNIFEM in 1997. UNIFEM is the women’s fund at the United Nations. It provides financial and technical assistance to innovative programs and strategies to foster women’s empowerment and gender equality. In coordination with other UNITED NATIONS agencies the campaign’s objective is to firmly place gender violence on the public agenda as a health and human rights issue, placing a spotlight on violence against women, probably the most pervasive human rights violation that affects as many as one in three women. We used this stamp image as inspiration for one of our ladies shirts. We thought it was so important an issue that we printed the design on our contoured short sleeve t-shirt as well as a thermal hoody to enable our customers to bring attention to this immensely important issue no matter what the season.

In 1993 the United Nations acknowledged the global dimensions of female targeted violence when the General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women. This declaration noted that this violence could be perpetrated by assailants of gender, family members and even the "State" itself. Worldwide governments and organizations actively work to combat violence against women through a variety of programs. The Commission on Human Rights adopted resolution 1994/45 of 4 March 1994, in which it decided to appoint the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, including its causes and consequences. A UN resolution designated November 25th as International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Violence against women continues to be a major human rights violation and progress is tied to the political will and commitment to allocate the necessary financial and human resources to address this tragedy.

For More Information;

UNIFEM
http://unifem.org/
Womenshealth.gov
http://www.4woman.gov/violence/
United Nations Human Rights Commission Women and Violence
http://www.un.org/rights/dpi1772e.htm
Human Rights Council Discusses Violence Against Women 6/5/08
http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/NewsRoom?OpenFrameSet

Cave Art

Imagine exploring a cave in the outback in Australia and coming upon this depiction of the Dreamtime. I thought that this was so unique and cool we used it as inspiration for one of our original t-shirt designs.

Aborigines are the indigenous inhabitants who live in mainland Australia, Tasmania and other adjacent islands. Thought to be the oldest continuously maintained cultural history on Earth (50,000 years or more), this example of Paleolithic cave art depicts the Dreamtime. The Dreamtime explains the origins and culture of the land and of its people. It presents in a number of inter-related narratives (or myths) explaining Aboriginal Australian origins and culture, and therefore has a complex relationship to the prehistory of Australia. The art produced 32,000 to 11,000 years ago, during the last Ice Age is known as Paleolithic Art. The Dreamtime is the central, unifying theme in Australian Aboriginal mythology. The condition that is Dreamtime is met when the tribal members live according to tribal rules and traditions and are initiated through rituals and the hearing of tribal myths.

The Dreamtime, also called the Dreaming, consists of four aspects: The beginning of all things; the life and influence of the ancestors; the way of life and death; and sources of power in life. Dreamtime consists of all four of these aspects at the same time because it is a condition beyond time and space where all things exist at once. There is an image in the lower central portion of the cave art. The image is found in many cave paintings in Australia. What do you think it is? Remember, the artwork is somewhere between ten and thirty thousand years old.

Sharjah Commemorates Arab Astronomers

In searching for an image from the Middle East which reflected the rich history and contributions to civilization from this embattled land, this triangular stamp from Sharjah captured the essence of what I was looking for. Sharjah is one of The United Arab Emirates. The Emirates were formed from tribally organized Arabian Peninsula sheikhdoms along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf and the northwestern coast of the Gulf of Oman. The area became Islamic in the 7th century. The Emirate of Sharjah is the third largest emirate in the United Arab Emirates, and is the only one to have land on both the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

This stamp commemorates the achievements of Arab Astronomers whose achievements include measuring the earth’s circumference, the determination of the solar year, advances in optics, lenses and mirrors, the position of planets at any given time and the prediction of solar and lunar eclipses. The achievements recognized on the stamp reflect the scientific inroads to modernity which began centuries ago in the Islamic world.

Yet, Sharjah mirrors the cultural conflict between modernity and tradition. Sharjah is the cultural capital of the UAE and yet is considered the most conservative of the emirates. Sharjah is the only Emirate in which the sale, possession and consumption of alcohol is banned. It also maintains the strictest decency laws in the UAE, introduced in 2001, with a conservative dress code required for both men and women. Mixing between unmarried men and women is illegal, and according to a Gulf News Article: "A man and a woman who are not in a legally acceptable relationship should not, according to the booklet, be alone in public places, or in suspicious times or circumstances."

Updated Mission Statement

Mission Statement

It is the mission of ETHNICITEE to provide a vehicle for a unique and contemporary method of celebrating and respecting our cultural similarities as well as our differences. By proudly displaying evocative works of art on a textile pallet, we shall provide a catalyst for embracing ethnicity through a deepening of our understanding, admiration, and tolerance for one another.

Value Proposition

• We propose to bring value to our customers by connecting one another through celebration and mutual respect.
• Display our artwork on the highest quality apparel and accessories through the most sophisticated of printing and embroidering techniques.

Vision

• Creation of a community, of connected, impassioned people, who through the development of a deeper respect and appreciation for the heritage of others create opportunities for, and enriches the lives of children affected by ethnic conflict.
• Ten percent of our profits will be placed in our foundation which will initiate the process.

Inspiration

Of the 39 major armed conflicts in the world, 37 could plausibly be described as ethnic conflicts. The negativity and intolerance that emanates from these conflicts have global implications. Ethnicitee has developed a unique and contemporary method of celebrating and respecting our cultural similarities as well as our differences. The essence of what is alluring and consequential in our cultures, a reflection of our ethnicity, has been portrayed in mini masterpieces of artwork; stamps. Exercising our artistic license, Ethnicitee provides each individual with an opportunity to celebrate and respect ethnicity, enriching the lives of those who are the most innocent victims of intolerance; children.