Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0066/00665.txt

Text File | 1991-06-24 | 14KB | 254 lines

$Unique_ID{COW00665}
$Pretitle{283}
$Title{Burundi
Chapter 6B.   Artistic and Intellectual Expression}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Gordon C. McDonald}
$Affiliation{HQ, Department of the Army}
$Subject{baskets
music
burundi
traditional
drum
common
family
literature
art
artistic}
$Date{1970}
$Log{}
Country:     Burundi
Book:        Burundi, A Country Study
Author:      Gordon C. McDonald
Affiliation: HQ, Department of the Army
Date:        1970

Chapter 6B.   Artistic and Intellectual Expression

     Most Burundi artisans retained their traditional spirit of artistic
expression for its own sake rather than for material gain. Baskets made of
fibers and useful objects made of iron or leather usually bore creative
decorations that reflected the makers' aesthetic interests. Nonutilitarian
plastic arts, such as sculpture, painting, and wood carving, had not been
broadly developed. Clay objects were not common, and pots for day-to-day use,
such as milk pots were made of wood rather than clay or metal. Pots, ladles,
and other wooden articles occasionally were given simple parallel linear
decorations, which were burnt in with a heated metal tool.

     The simple ornamental designs on baskets and on workaday items of iron or
leather sprang from a desire for self-expression. Traditionally, geometric
patterns were the rule. Harmony was developed from combinations of asymmetric
and contrasting elements. A maximum of two or three themes were used
alternately. In the use of color a rigorous classicism was preferred, with
white in the background and black in the decorative elements. Red and blue
were sometimes used on luxury articles.

     Wherever foreign influences had penetrated, a sharp contrast was detected
between traditional and modern art. Western techniques and themes had been
acquired in the art shops of the Catholic mission schools. Geometric designs
tended to disappear under outside influence, and realistic figures were shown.
Art traditionalists expressed hopes that the success of the Black Arts World
Festival (Festival mondial des arts negres) held in Dakar in 1966, would
encourage Burundi artists who have done modern work to return to traditional
themes.

     Oral literature, rhetoric, music, and dance, which express the life and
movement of the individual, were still the most active and beloved forms of
artistic expression in 1969. Oral traditional literature was a rich source of
historical data and a means of entertainment, particularly during family
gatherings, and music and dance played an important role in social activities
as well as ceremonial occasions (see Social Values, ch. 5).

     Repositories for written history, literature, and artworks were limited.
A small museum of traditional art in Gitega held some representative art
works, and there were small libraries in Bujumbura and in several province
headquarters.

Basketry

     Women were proficient in basketmaking. Traditionally, specialists in fine
basketwork considered it a matter of honor to make only high quality items.
The artist created freely, directing her thoughts to the material without
using any previous model as a guide. A rough awl manufactured by the artisan
was the only tool used in basketwork. The necessary raw materials were
abundant and inexpensive; pithy fibers of the papyrus, bast, banana, and other
common herbs were used.

     Both weaving and coiling techniques were used. Coiling was more common,
particularly for thick-walled baskets and bowls, as coils were more resistant
to shock and pressure than woven containers. Coiling technique was preferred
when crafting waterproof cups, lids for the gourd bottles used for beer, and
the rings used to keep vessels in an upright position and to carry bundles on
the head.

     Baskets vary according to use, but the most common were convex flattened
globes or bells. The base and lid of a convex basket were similar in height,
but the lid of the bell-shaped basket was higher, providing a symmetrical
shape. Various sizes were used for storage of salt, pepper, beans, and many
other foods. Small oblong baskets were used to hold beer pots when visitors
were entertained.

     Most of the fibers used tended to dry into shades of yellow or tan. Many
baskets were decorated with strips of black or mauve fibers, dyed with mud
from the marshes and arranged in geometric patterns. Simple zigzag patterns
were common. Sometimes triangles were added, tiered in a quincunx pattern (see
Glossary) with squares, rectangles and strips in V-shapes or spirals. These
combinations of narrow fiber strips subtly represented the natural latticework
of banana leaves, which were a common artistic theme because of the importance
of the banana plant as the source of banana beer, considered a necessity in
social relations (see Social Structure, ch. 5). Both the base and the lid of
the basket had the same pattern. More sophisticated basket styles included
trimmings of white and blue beads, with the white arranged in geometrical
figures, forming triangles and diamonds.

     All the baskets, embellished or not, were socially valuable and
utilitarian. In general, the number of baskets a family had, and the skill and
artistry displayed in them, indicated the social status of the household.

     Upper-class Tutsi women did most of the basketmaking, with the help of
servants and laborers. Experienced makers taught young people their arts.
Learning the various techniques and designs took much time and effort.
Basketry lessons cost several hoes, goats, or a cow; in recent times the pupil
sometimes paid the teacher with money or imported articles.

     Formerly, baskets were not normally made to sell, and it was difficult
for would-be purchasers to establish a mutually agreeable price, which
depended entirely upon the buyer's mood. It was not unusual to exchange a cow
for a particular basket.

Ironwork

     Metallic handiwork included iron decorations for pots and baskets, and
copper bracelets made from old African jewelry or old European objects. Lances
made by blacksmiths were usually functional, but were also kept for their
prestige or decorative value. Made in multiple shapes showing simple design
and great skill, the lances were originally used both for hunting game and for
war. They were forged in such a way that, once they were plunged into its
flesh, an animal had difficulty to twist or to break loose from it. War lances
had a small hook at the end on which poison could be placed.

     Aside from use in war or hunting, lances had symbolic and spiritual
values. The chief of the family usually took his lance with him on trips and
used it as a walking stick and status symbol. Gentlemen from upper classes
carried artistically decorated lances as part of their traditional costume on
special occasions. His lance was the instrument by which a dying family head
symbolically transmitted his power to a successor. A particular type of lance
having white and black colors played an important role in rituals for the
clan's ancestral heroes and their mediators (kiranga) (see Religion, ch. 5).

Music and Dance

     Music and dance were extremely important arts. Music was associated with
most family meetings and other activities. The Burundi have had a large
repertoire of songs for every mood and occasion, and every family event has
been enhanced by songs. Musical compositions were usually short, but different
words and dances added variety to the repetitious beat of the music.

     The imvyino, a type of group song, was popular in family reunions. It had
a refrain composed of a short musical phrase with a strong beat, and the group
singing was sometimes accompanied by dances. Couplets improvised by a soloist
were popular in the imvyino because they were usually colorful and were
closely related to the event or the specific moment when sung. Such solo
verses were often used to bring news to the group.

     The indirimbo, another popular type of song, was performed by one person
or a very small group and was consi