unknown Yoruba
Yoruba Primary

Digi (Mirror)

20th century

Object
14 3/4 x 6 1/8 x 2 3/4 in. (37.465 x 15.558 x 6.985 cm)

This object has the following keywords:

• African - Refers to the cultures of the continent of Africa, which is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea.
• female - Referring to the sex that normally produces eggs or female germ cells.
• indigo - A natural dark blue colorant obtained from the tropical Indigofera tinctoria plants. The use of indigo was first mentioned in Indian manuscripts in the 4th century BCE; it was first exported to Europe in Roman times. The natural material is collected as a precipitate from a fermented solution of the plant, where the coloring component, indigotin, is extracted as a colorless glycoside that turns blue with oxidation. Indigo is a fine, intense powder which may be used directly as a pigment in oil, tempera, or watercolor media. Since the exposed pigment can fade rapidly in strong sunlight, it is rarely used in art or fine textiles today. However, it is still used to dye jeans, where its fading and uneven coloring have become favorable characteristics.
• mirrors - Objects with a highly polished surface, designed to reflect images clearly. The surface is typically smooth, flat, or sometimes slightly curved, made of polished metal in ancient and medieval times, but later usually of glass with a reflective coating on one side.
• Nigerian
• scarifications - Refers to permanent marks, such as symbols, patterns, or other designs, made on human skin by scarring, done for social or cultural reasons or for personal decoration.
• West African - Styles and cultures from the region comprising the westernmost area of the African continent, defined by the United Nations as including the modern nations of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
• Yoruba

This object is a member of the following portfolios: