Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Page 13
African culture comes alive with LTA
take several weeks of slow
faffia dolls and gourd masks.
and painstaking work before
While some dolls in Af-
the entire cloth is covered.
rica are created from fabric,
For this workshop, the
most are made of wood and
students worked with fabric
highly decorated with beads.
dye discharge to create their
They are often used not as toys,
elaborate designs.
but instead, as part of rituals:
Gabi Salas Groth, feast
Raffia symbolizes “something
and music coordinator, organ-
good,” and the raffia dolls the
ized a one-day celebration on
students created represented the
people of Afri-
can culture.
African
masks are used
also in rituals
as well as
healing cere-
monies. They
are symbols of
authority and
objects of wor-
ship.
Every
mask has its
Locating Senegal
own spirit, and
on the globe.
when not in
use,
usually
sits
on
a
brought its three-day Africa
shrine.
Be-
Project to seventh-grade stu-
cause masks
dents at Lorna Byrne Middle
incorporate
School.
symbolism in
LTA conducted two-day
their decora-
workshops in conjunction
tion, students
with the school’s Africa stud-
were asked to
ies program. On Wednesday
design
their
and Thursday, May 14 and
masks for per-
15, directed by coordinator
sonal signifi-
Noralene Harland, African
cance.
arts were presented to the
Adinkra
students in the forms of mud-
involves print-
cloth and adinkra textiles,
ing de- Rebecca Saavedra in traditional Sen-
signs in a
galese garb with African drums.
black dye
Friday, May 16. It consisted
made from tree bark,
of a live African music per-
employing stamps
formance, provided hands-on
carved from sections of
opportunities for the students
calabash gourd. The
and included African food.
seventh-graders used the
These programs are
adinkra symbols and
made possible by volunteer
paint to stamp designs on
support, and funding from the
fabric.
Carpenter and Cow Creek
With kente, stark
Umpqua Indian Foundations.
black-and-yellow de-
For information, contact Patti
signs of mud cloth have
Culver, LTA Program admin-
become one of the
istrator,
at
ir-
best-known African
vac.lta@gmail.com. To be-
cloth traditions.
Tra-
come a member, or find out
ditionally, designs are
more about IRVAC, visit
drawn onto cloth using
Student art on display
irvac.com.
a mud solution. It can
By PATTI CULVER
For the fourth consecu-
tive year, the Illinois River
Valley Arts Council Learning
Through Art (LTA) program
Dome School elementary students created Animal Masks with Nedd & Jen Wyant. The class is
preparing for an end-of-the-year performance during an open house on Thursday, May 22,
beginning at 6:30 p.m. The play is titled Flower Power and is being directed by Jack Dwyer.
The public can attend. For more information, phone 592-3911. (Photo provided)
Takilma Bible Church conducted its 25th bi-annual clothing giveaway program Saturday, May
17 at the church on Takilma Road. Mounds of clean, good clothing are made available free to
all comers as part of the church ministry. Abigail Robinson, daughter of Pastor Dan Robinson,
is recognized as the driving force for the project. (Photo by Ali Madjdi)
$17.48 cost per
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$29.04/18.83cost per
$1,000 borrowed
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$16.67 cost per $1,000 borrowed
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