African Art
Africa Direct carries a wide range of African art and artifacts. With over 14,500 pieces in stock, Africa Direct features the largest online selection of African art, African baskets, African tribal masks, African beadwork, Trade Beads and Ethnic Jewelry.
These artifacts are directly from Africa and are made by many of the indigenous African ethnic groupsthat reside all around the continent. You can find African masks from the Biombo of the Republic of Congo, carvings from the Dogon out of Mali or textiles and baskets from the Makonde in Tanzania.
The Makonde are a interesting group as they are a Bantu-speaking group who moved into northern Mozambique from their original homelands in Tanzania, near Lake Nyasa. There are still pockets of Makonde living in Tanzania today, and the two groups are separated by the Rovuma River. Despite the proximity of the two groups, they consider themselves culturally distinct, though ideas and artistic traditions are shared. Their first contact with Europeans did not occur until 1910 and, even then, European influence was minimal. Their coastal location hints at an involvement with Swahili slave traders in centuries past, although this is not certain. Recently enclaves of Makonde have been found living in and near larger cities in Kenya.