Slippers (Bata Ileke)

YorubaWW-1875-142615

<p>When Yoruba people greet a king, they say, “May the crown rest long on your head, may shoes remain long on your feet.” For ritual and state occasions, a Yoruba king dresses from head to toe in elaborate beaded and cloth garments. Beaded shoes probably became part of a king’s regalia in the 18th or early 19th century, as European-inspired fashions gained prestige for many Africans. The faces on these shoes suggest the all-seeing powers of a divine king, who is guided by orisa (deities) and ancestors.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1875
Medium: Glass beads, cloth, and thread
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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