This beaded crown (Adenla) was created by an unknown Yorubian artist in Nigeria in the late 19th century and is one of the prominent symbols of power in African art. Crowns from this time period shared certain characteristics such as the okin, or royal bird, on top and the face of Oduduwa, the creator-god, on the front panel. The warriors and the horse speak of the king’s military prowess, but the horse was also seen as a symbol of spirituality. One speculation for this symbolism is that when mounted on a horse, man is closer to heaven, and farther from the ground and reality. The beaded veil was meant to also speak of status as well as to hide the face of the divine king from the people. This practice of keeping the king’s face hidden was meant for his protection as well as to add mystery to his presence on earth.
process of keeping the ruler separate from the people in Africa is analogous to the European Heavenly Kings who ruled by the mandate of heaven and were considered to be on a different level than their subjects. Chinese emperors were also sorrounded by this shroud of mystery. It is interesting that peoples from very different lands viewed their rulers in similar ways. This may be evidence of the fact that the practise of idealizing our rulers is instincutual; we seek to entrust ourselves to those who are above-human.
This approach struck me as very different from the open, friendly politicains that we are accustomed to. Today, leaders try to be as connected to the public as possible and their ublic relations people are always coming up with ways to make them seem more like the average Joe.This approach struck me as very different from the open, friendly politicains that we are accustomed to. Today, leaders try to be as connected to the public as possible and their public relations people are always coming up with ways to make them seem more like the average Joe.
