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Item Ships From: Chicago
African Carved Wood "Tree of Life" Sculpture
Located in Chicago, IL
Beautiful, impressively sized and elaborately carved "Tree of Life" sculpture from Tanzania, Africa. These carvings are created from a single piece of wood and feature "Ujamma" or ...
Category

19th Century Tanzanian Tribal Antique Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Wood

Framed Akha Tribe Hand Embroidered Shoulder Bag
Located in Chicago, IL
This hand embroidered shoulder is from the Akha tribe and has been framed for display on a wall. The Akha are an indigenous hill tribe who live in small villages at higher elevations...
Category

Mid-20th Century Thai Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Hemp, Cotton, Silk, Glass, Wood

18th Century Ngelima Bronze Currency Piece on Custom Steel Mount
Located in Chicago, IL
This rare 18th-century Ngelima bronze currency manilla is a stunning artifact, weighing an impressive 20 pounds of solid bronze. Adorned with intricate incised line drawings at its e...
Category

18th Century Congolese Tribal Antique Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Bronze

Kuba Beaded Laket Prestige Cap
By Kuba
Located in Chicago, IL
This petite cone-shaped cap, known as laket, was created by an artisan of the Kuba peoples of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The base is made of a simple woven raffia fabric, ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Congolese Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Shell, Fabric

20th Century Naga People's Chair
Located in Chicago, IL
This 20th-century chair, hand-carved from a single piece of wood by the Naga people of India, is a remarkable blend of primitive charm and modern spirit. The Naga people, known for t...
Category

20th Century Indian Primitive Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Wood

20th Century Naga People's Chair
20th Century Naga People's Chair
$1,800 Sale Price
25% Off
Kuba Dye-Resist Tcaka Textile
Located in Chicago, IL
Visually dynamic and highly textured, this raffia textile expresses the irregular, geometric patterns typical of Kuba textile art. Created by an artisan of the Kuba people of the Dem...
Category

20th Century Congolese Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Raffia

Early 20th Century Wrought Iron Yoruba Ọ̀sanyìn Staff
Located in Chicago, IL
This early 20th-century Yoruba Ọ̀sanyìn staff, meticulously crafted from wrought iron, features a prominent central bird surrounded by several stylized avian figures, symbolizing spi...
Category

Early 20th Century Nigerian Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Wrought Iron

African Topoke Iron Currency Blade, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
While shield and spear were central to African combat, this iron sword blade was most likely made to serve as a piece of trade currency. Many pre-colonization African currencies were...
Category

Early 20th Century Congolese Minimalist Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Iron

Ethiopian Milk Vessel
Located in Chicago, IL
The Borana Oromo people of southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya are historically a cattle-keeping culture, and each household keeps a number of traditional vessels for storing and ch...
Category

Mid-20th Century Ethiopian Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Other

African Seated Luba Figure
Located in Chicago, IL
Artisans from the Luba tribe were renowned for the organic flow of their carving style. This example clearly shows the smooth transition from aspect to aspect, maintaining a singular...
Category

Mid-20th Century Congolese Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Wood

Djerma Painted Water Vessel
Located in Chicago, IL
The Djerma people of Niger are well-known for their gracefully shaped and delicately painted water containers. The surface paintings are applied after firing with all natural pigment...
Category

Early 20th Century Nigerien Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Terracotta

20th Century Shipibo Pot
Located in Chicago, IL
A striking 20th century Amazonian Shipibo pot hand-built from clay, decorated with wide red and orange lines, and glazed with the sap of a tree. Members of...
Category

20th Century Brazilian Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Clay

20th Century Shipibo Pot
20th Century Shipibo Pot
$521 Sale Price
25% Off
Ngombe Throwing Knife, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
With its many blades and dramatic form, this impressive throwing knife would have been a status symbol and a form of currency among the Ngombe peoples o...
Category

Early 20th Century Congolese Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Iron

African Incised Copper Currency Anklet, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Time honored texture and form define this Nigerian copper sculptural object. The intricate geometry was achieved through a process known as scarification. The artisan would meticulou...
Category

Early 20th Century Nigerian Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Copper

Yoruba Four Headed Egungun Headdress
By Yoruba People
Located in Chicago, IL
This wooden headdress was created by the Yoruba People of western Nigeria, and was worn during a masquerade known as egungun. A widespread Yoruba ritual, egungun performances honor a...
Category

Mid-20th Century Nigerian Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Wood

Yoruba Painted Veranda Post
Located in Chicago, IL
Hand carved with a figurative design, this TOTEM-like wooden post was crafted by an artisan of the Yoruba peoples of Nigeria. Resembling the tall houseposts used to support the roof of a home, this shorter post would have been placed on a veranda courtyard as a symbolic and decorative element and did not bear weight. This veranda post...
Category

Mid-20th Century Nigerian Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Wood

Kuba Iron Currency Spear, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
While shield and spear were central to African combat, this iron example was most likely made to serve as a piece of trade currency. Many pre-colonization African currencies were modeled after objects of inherent value, resulting in sculptural combinations of function and beauty. This large iron spear dates to the early 20th century and is attributed to the Kuba people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Secured to a narrow handle of iron and wood, the flattened blade has an elegant, sloping silhouette, subtly textured with raised lines and a rusted, antique patina. Forged as a broadleaf spear, the weapon contrasts a violent potential with images of peaceful branches swaying in the wind. We've set this unusual Kuba spear...
Category

Early 20th Century Congolese Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Iron

Yoruba Beaded Sash, c. 1950
Located in Chicago, IL
This intricately-constructed colorful train was painstakingly created by Yoruba artisans in Nigeria in the mid-20th century. Recent designs such as this were based upon sashes that s...
Category

Mid-20th Century Nigerian Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Shell, Fabric, Beads

Early 20th Century Wrought Iron Yoruba Ọ̀sanyìn Staff
Located in Chicago, IL
This early 20th-century Yoruba Ọ̀sanyìn staff, meticulously crafted from wrought iron, features a prominent central bird surrounded by several stylized avian figures, symbolizing spi...
Category

Early 20th Century Nigerian Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Wrought Iron

African Kenyan Bells with 3 Kisi Metal Tally Sticks / Provenance Douglas Dawson
Located in Chicago, IL
African Kenyan bells with 3 Kisi metal tally sticks provenance Douglas Dawson. Came from the Goldberg Family Collection. Dims are of a single bell.
Category

19th Century African Antique Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Metal

Central African Buffalo Slit Drum
Located in Chicago, IL
This large animal sculpture is actually a traditional African slit drum, a percussive instrument commonly carved from a single block of wood. Comprised of a hollow resonance chamber ...
Category

20th Century African Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Wood

Bamileke Iron Double Gong, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Like many pieces of traditional African metalwork, this sculptural double bell served multiple purposes within the Bamileke communities of Cameroon. They were status symbols, ceremon...
Category

Early 20th Century Cameroonian Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Iron

Nigerian Nupe Gourd-Form Water Vessel, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Inspired by the natural world, Nupe ceramicists fired this water vessel in the shape of a gourd. The vessel's varied surface textures and colors come from its functional design. The ...
Category

Early 20th Century Nigerian Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Terracotta

African Yoruba Painted Gelede Headdress
Located in Chicago, IL
This painted mask was created by the Yoruba People of western Nigeria, and was worn during a tradition known as Gelede. A blend of ritual and artistic spectacle, Gelede pays homage to the women of their Community, understood to possess spiritual powers capable of the benefit or the destruction of society. The Gelede masquerade is an opportunity to honor or condemn behaviors within the Community, through dance, art, satire, and poetry. Worn by veiled dancers, Gelede masks...
Category

Mid-20th Century Nigerian Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Wood

African Fulani Currency Bracelet, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Characterized by its open shape capped with geometric ends, this bracelet is but one form of the many types of body adornments favored the Fulani people of West Africa. The thick des...
Category

Early 20th Century Nigerien Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Brass

Large 19th Century Wooden Mortar
Located in Chicago, IL
A large 19th century Central American wooden mortar with a beautifully hand-hewn texture and a well worn finish. Mortars like these were used to crush grains, spices, herbs, and othe...
Category

19th Century Central American Tribal Antique Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Wood

Large 19th Century Wooden Mortar
Large 19th Century Wooden Mortar
$1,837 Sale Price
25% Off
20th Century Emberá-Wounaan Basket
Located in Chicago, IL
This extraordinary 20th century Emberá-Wounaan basket is a testament to the remarkable craftsmanship of the indigenous Emberá-Wounaan people of Panama a...
Category

20th Century Panamanian Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Natural Fiber

20th Century Emberá-Wounaan Basket
20th Century Emberá-Wounaan Basket
$2,550 Sale Price
25% Off
Mounted 19th Century Afo Iron Currency
Located in Chicago, IL
A fantastic 19th century Afo culture wrought iron spade currency piece mounted on custom steel stand. Currency pieces like these were used for large purchases including land or lives...
Category

19th Century Nigerian Tribal Antique Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Iron

Mounted Early 20th Century Mende Country Cloth
Located in Chicago, IL
A wonderful early 20th century Mende handwoven Country Cloth composed of twelve narrow strips of indigo and cream dyed cotton and arranged to create a checkerboard pattern, and hand ...
Category

Early 20th Century Sierra Leonean Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Cotton

Pair of African Nyamwezi Trough Zithers
Located in Chicago, IL
These wooden sculptures are stringed instruments known as ligombo, a form of elongated trough zither attributed to the Nyamwezi people of Tanzania and greater East Africa. Originally...
Category

20th Century Tanzanian Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Wood

Early 20th Century Palm Wine Vessel
Located in Chicago, IL
An incredible early 20th century Makenge hand-built ceramic palm wine pot with a graceful shape including a narrow neck and a wide belly. The pot is covered ...
Category

Early 20th Century Zambian Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Ceramic, Natural Fiber

Early 20th Century Palm Wine Vessel
Early 20th Century Palm Wine Vessel
$2,100 Sale Price
25% Off
Ethiopian Carved Wooden Headrest
Located in Chicago, IL
So as not to muss their intricate hairstyles while sleeping, Ethiopian women would traditionally rest their heads on these petite wooden stands. The combination of conic base and con...
Category

Early 20th Century Ethiopian Primitive Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Wood

Early 20th Century Indian Suzani-Inspired Textile
Located in Chicago, IL
This vibrant vintage Indian hand-embroidered textile draws inspiration from Persian Suzanis, reinterpreted through a distinctly South Asian lens. A grid of large, bold floral medalli...
Category

Early 20th Century Indian Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Cotton

Pair of Tamberma Shields on Stands
Located in Chicago, IL
A pair of wonderfully sculptural early 20th century handwoven wicker shields from the Tamberma people of Togo, mounted on custom steel stands.
Category

Early 20th Century Togolese Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Wicker

Pair of Tamberma Shields on Stands
Pair of Tamberma Shields on Stands
$3,150 Sale Price
25% Off
Tongue-in-Cheek Mounted Kuba Cloth Panel
Located in Chicago, IL
A provocative late 20th century Kuba cloth panel with a bold zigzag and diamond pattern woven in black and natural cut pile raffia surrounding a tongu...
Category

Late 20th Century Congolese Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Raffia

Set of Five Iron Phallus Fertility Figures
Located in Chicago, IL
A wonderful set of five early 20th century iron phallus figures from Togo. Fertility figures like these were planted in the ground of a farmer's fiel...
Category

Early 20th Century Togolese Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Iron

Set of Five Iron Phallus Fertility Figures
Set of Five Iron Phallus Fertility Figures
$2,400 Sale Price / set
25% Off
Modernist Dan Peoples Stool
Located in Chicago, IL
A chic modernist early 20th century Dan Peoples stool from Ivory Coast, carved from one piece of wood with a simple hourglass form, and the most wonderful p...
Category

Early 20th Century Ivorian Modern Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Wood

Modernist Dan Peoples Stool
Modernist Dan Peoples Stool
$1,350 Sale Price / item
25% Off
Bamun Copper Necklace
Located in Chicago, IL
Composed of fifteen miniature heads welded onto a circular form, this intricate necklace is styled after the prestige collars worn by royalty of the Kingdom of Bamum, a pre-colonial ...
Category

20th Century Cameroonian Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Metal

Bamileke Figurative Round Stool
Located in Chicago, IL
Marked by the telltale Bamileke rounded disc seat and base, this stool features a group of pondering human figures as its vertical supports instead of the more common abstract carvin...
Category

Mid-20th Century Cameroonian Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Wood

Toussian Storage Vessel, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Ovoid pots were an elegant storage solution in African tribal life. This beautifully balanced example is attributed to the Toussian people of Western Burkina Faso. Masterfully made to protect its contents from the elements, pots such as this one were coiled by female ceramists to hold food or personal...
Category

Early 20th Century Burkinabe Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Ceramic

Terracotta Bura Spirit Vessel, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Sometimes called a "Bura bell" due to its shape, this sculptural terra cotta object was part of the Bura tribe's burial ritual. Buried with its flared mouth facing down, this cylindrical storage...
Category

Early 20th Century Nigerien Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Terracotta

Dida Tie-Dyed Ceremonial Kerchief
Located in Chicago, IL
An incredible and rare mid-20th century Dida (Ivory Coast) hand-plated Shibori tie-dyed raffia ceremonial kerchief mounted on a linen stretched frame. This kerchief was not woven on ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Ivorian Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Raffia

Dida Tie-Dyed Ceremonial Kerchief
Dida Tie-Dyed Ceremonial Kerchief
$1,387 Sale Price
25% Off
Kirdi Leather Shield on Custom Wall Mount
Located in Chicago, IL
A wonderfully sculptural Kirdi leather shield from Cameroon, with a beautiful geometric pattern that's been 'stamped' into the leather resulting a raise...
Category

20th Century Cameroonian Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Leather

Mounted Dida Tie-Dyed Ceremonial Kerchief
Located in Chicago, IL
An incredible and rare mid-20th century Dida hand-plated Shibori tie-dyed raffia ceremonial kerchief mounted on a linen stretched board that floats off the wall in the shape of the k...
Category

Mid-20th Century Ivorian Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Raffia

Painting from a Kwoma Ceremonial House Ceiling
Located in Chicago, IL
A painting from a Kwoma ceremonial house ceiling depicting an abstract polychrome pattern on a sago palm spathe. From the Metropolitan Museum of Art: "...
Category

Mid-20th Century Papua New Guinean Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Natural Fiber

Dida Tie-Dyed Ceremonial Kerchief
Located in Chicago, IL
An incredible and rare mid-20th century Dida (Ivory Coast) hand-plated Shibori tie-dyed raffia ceremonial kerchief mounted on a linen stretched frame. This kerchief was not woven on ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Ivorian Mid-Century Modern Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Raffia

Dida Tie-Dyed Ceremonial Kerchief
Dida Tie-Dyed Ceremonial Kerchief
$1,387 Sale Price
25% Off
Yoruba Osanyin Healing Staff, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
To cure mental and physical ailments, Yoruba priests and diviners invoke the aid of Osanyin, the god of herbal medicines. Used in divination rituals to cure the afflicted, this iron ...
Category

Early 20th Century Nigerian Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Iron

Bamileke Storage Vessel, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Like other African everyday ceramics, Bamileke storage pots are revered for their simple forms yet astonishing beauty. Each is hand shaped and fired in the open. They are generally s...
Category

Early 20th Century Cameroonian Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Ceramic

Yoruba Osanyin Staff, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
To cure mental and physical ailments, Yoruba priests and diviners invoke the aid of Osanyin, the god of herbal medicines. Used in divination rituals to cure the afflicted, this iron ...
Category

Early 20th Century Nigerian Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Steel, Iron

Senufo Locking Currency Bracelet, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Time honored texture and form define this Senufo sculptural object. The abstract etchings were achieved through a process known as scarification. The artisan meticulously traced and ...
Category

Mid-19th Century Ivorian Antique Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Copper

Yoruba Beaded Sash, c. 1950
Located in Chicago, IL
This intricately-constructed colorful train was painstakingly created by Yoruba artisans in Nigeria in the mid-20th century. Recent designs such as this were based upon...
Category

Mid-20th Century Nigerian Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Shell, Fabric, Beads

Yoruba Osanyin Healing Staff, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
To cure mental and physical ailments, Yoruba priests and diviners invoke the aid of Osanyin, the god of herbal medicines. Used in divination rituals to cure the afflicted, this iron ...
Category

Early 20th Century Nigerian Minimalist Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Iron

Painted Baule Blolo Bla Figure
By Baule Tribe
Located in Chicago, IL
The figurative sculptures of the Baule peoples of Cote d'Ivoire are recognizable by their strong, gently curving forms and serene composure. This figure of a woman was carved to repr...
Category

Mid-20th Century Ivorian Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Wood

African Nupe Terracotta Vessel Support, c. 1900
By Nupe
Located in Chicago, IL
The Nupe people of Nigeria were touted as some of the finest ceramicists in Africa. Everyday objects, like this elegant, cylindrical vessel support, received detailed attention. This flaring terra cotta form would have been buried halfway in the ground, in a Nupe home, and used as a stable base for a stack of traditional round pots...
Category

Early 20th Century Nigerian Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Terracotta

Baga a-Bamp Bird Headdress with Canoe
Located in Chicago, IL
This graceful sculpture of a long-necked bird is a headdress known as "a-Bamp," worn during ritual masquerades of Baga adolescents in Guinea. With strong themes of defiance, these ma...
Category

Mid-20th Century Guinean Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Wood

Yao Silver Chain Necklace
Located in Chicago, IL
This finely crafted piece was made high in the mountains above Thailand, Laos and Burma (modern day Myanmar) by an indigenous hill tribe. The Yao people are skilled silversmiths who ...
Category

Mid-20th Century Laotian Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Silver

Yao Silver Chain Necklace
Yao Silver Chain Necklace
$7,125 Sale Price
25% Off
Yoruba Osanyin Healing Staff, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
To cure mental and physical ailments, Yoruba priests and diviners invoke the aid of Osanyin, the god of herbal medicines. Used in divination rituals to cure the afflicted, this iron ...
Category

Early 20th Century Nigerian Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Iron

Tabwa Staff with Female Figure
Located in Chicago, IL
This hand carved 20th century wooden staff, was crafted in the style of the Tabwa people located along the southwestern shores of Lake Tanganyika. The handle is finely decorated with...
Category

20th Century South African Folk Art Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Wood

Tabwa Staff with Female Figure
Tabwa Staff with Female Figure
$686 Sale Price
30% Off
Mossi Incised Currency Bracelet
Located in Chicago, IL
The blacksmiths and sculptors of the Mossi People were held in special regard by the tribe's ruling class. Their ability to shape bronze and other precious metals into currency and status symbols made them valuable members of the powerful tribe. The intricate design of this currency bracelet...
Category

Mid-20th Century Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Bronze

Terracotta Bura Spirit Vessel, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Sometimes called a "Bura bell" due to its shape, this sculptural terra cotta object was part of the Bura tribe's burial ritual. Buried with its flared mouth facing down, this cylindrical storage...
Category

Early 20th Century Nigerien Tribal Chicago - Tribal Art

Materials

Terracotta

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