Female Figure with Rooster (Olumeye)

YorubaWW-1875-016083

1875·Wood, pigment, glass beads, and thread·43.2 × 31.2 × 24.2 cm (17 × 12 1/4 × 9 1/2 in.)

<p>The rooster-shaped container proffered by this kneeling female figure was made to hold kola nuts, which are shared with guests as a gesture of hospitality. The sculpture’s surface is rubbed with washing blue, a laundry aid used to prevent white clothes from yellowing. The color blue carries special significance for the Yoruba. Expressing coolness, it is associated with water and water deities as well as admired qualities such as purity, discretion, and composure.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1875
Medium: Wood, pigment, glass beads, and thread
Dimensions: 43.2 × 31.2 × 24.2 cm (17 × 12 1/4 × 9 1/2 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Yoruba

Artist

Yoruba

Textile

Yoruba is an Atlantic–Congo language that is spoken in West Africa, primarily in South West Nigeria, Benin, and parts of Togo. It is spoken by the Yoruba people. Yoruba speakers number roughly 50 million, including around 2 million second-language or L2 speakers. As a pluricentric language, it is primarily spoken in a dialectal area spanning Nigeria, Benin, and Togo with smaller migrated communities in Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and Gambia.

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