Makonde people

The Makonde are a Bantu people in southeastern Tanzania. Another significant part of the Makonde people settled for a long time beyond the Rovuma River in Mozambique border. Their language is the ChiMakonde.

History

The Makonde are one of the five main ethnic groups in Tanzania. They live in relative isolation on the still difficult to access Makonde plateau. Thus they were less drawn by colonial development affected. The exact role of the Tanzanian Makonde during the so-called Maji -Maji uprising 1905-1907 is now only difficult to research, especially as it is not more widely around a hierarchically structured ethnicity, but partly living communities. Investigations, in particular literature reviews, the Hamburg Mawingu Collection ( Peter- Andreas Kamp -hausen ) have shown that probably only few local Makonde groups are likely to have taken the side of the insurgents. This probably had to do with the fact that the Makonde under other ethnic groups who were instrumental in the insurrection (eg Ngoni ), suffered himself repeatedly as a result of assaults.

Furthermore, the Makonde was apparently from so-called " punitive expeditions " of the German colonial troops in previous years whose military strength still remembered. It is worth noting in this context that the respected German ethnologist Karl Weule has 1906 only therefore led his famous expedition in the early as the autumn of 1905 again " quiet " extreme southeast of the former German East Africa (now Tanzania ) and others to the Makonde and there also largely could perform unmolested because he had been advised by the German military leadership because of the uncertain situation of traveling according to its original plan in more northerly regions.

The Makonde are known for their cultural conservatism and their willingness to defend their land and their way of life. For example, many Makonde who fought during the Revolutionary War in Mozambique for Frelimo.

Carving

Isolated from and resistant to outside influences developed the Makonde, the extraordinary artisans ( wood carver ) are a high degree of ethnic self- consciousness. The famous Makonde artists are drawn from the 1950s to Dar es Salaam, from where has received international recognition in the following decades, their wood and has been represented in major collections: in Germany, for example, in the Aurnhammer collection and Hamburg Mawingu Collection. Among the internationally most significant contemporary artists Makonde counts George Lilanga who has developed his own distinctive style. Many important Makonde carvers of the "first hour ", which have the image of the so-called " Modern Makonde Art " was coined (eg Samaki, Dastani, Chanuo, Karinto and others) are no longer alive. George Lilanga died on 27 June 2005 at the age of 70 years in Dar es Salaam. The HMC: George Lilanga Collection is dedicated to the artist, a systematic catalog of works.

The carvings of the Makonde had their highlights, beginning in the 1960s until the early 1990s. After a series of formative Schnitzer had died and there were (and are ) only a few followers who still dominate the carving of comparable quality and expressiveness. However, all master carver had students who even today can produce high above average good works in some cases. These include, for example Mbangwende Moris ( Chanuo pupils). Also Mala underway tries his hand at Chanuo style. Augostino Mwanga was a student and long-time employee of Dastani. Lugwani has developed its own direction within the Mawingu style.

Market activity around the Makonde carving has always been amongst the impressive masterpieces (which are then often migrated as collectibles in international collections ) and mass- produced so-called "Airport Style" moves. Today is clearly inferior, highly polished or blackened with shoe polish "tourist art" predominates in smaller formats, at different places in East Africa (eg Mwenge in Dar es Salaam / Tanzania or Nairobi / Kenya) is offered.

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