TY - BOOK ID - 5163565 TI - The making of Bamana sculpture : creativity and gender PY - 1994 SN - 0521444845 PB - Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, DB - UniCat KW - Bambara (African people) KW - Sculpture KW - Sculpture, Bambara KW - Wood-carving KW - Bambara (Peuple d'Afrique) KW - Sculpture Bambara KW - Sculpture sur bois KW - Religion KW - Social life and customs KW - Moeurs et coutumes KW - Sculptors KW - Sculpture, Bambara. KW - Wood sculpture, Bambara. KW - Religion. KW - Social life and customs. KW - Biography KW - History and criticism. UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:5163565 AB - The Making of Bamana Sculpture describes both the techniques and the rituals used by Bamana blacksmiths in Mali, West Africa, when they carve sacred sculpture. Chronicling the process of decision-making that results in a commission, it provides a detailed account of the carving process and also analyses the meaning of this process. Sarah Brett-Smith demonstrates that Bamana sculptors compare the process of producing a ritual object both to sexual intercourse and to childbirth. Her study details how Bamana sculptors become 'great' artists, how this process requires a shift from a 'male' to a 'female' gender identity, and why the Bamana believe that the ambitious artist must make tragic sacrifices to win renown. ER -