Object Doors to Learning: The Leopard

Transcription

1 IYARE! Splendor & Tension in Benin s Palace Theatre November 8, 2008 March 1, 2009 University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology Object Doors to Learning: The Leopard Detail of a leopard on an ivory armlet, Benin Kingdom, Nigeria University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology 2008 Introduction: The leopard inhabits the Benin Kingdom s forest environment, and is symbolically associated with its ruler because of its beauty and deadliness. Numerous objects in the IYARE! exhibition include representations of leopards; they can provide interesting starting points for discussions in a variety of disciplines at varying grade levels. Use the inspiractions (inspiration for a lesson plan plus activities) below to lead students into new areas of learning connected to Africa. Art: Stylization; symbolism English and language arts: Discussion of vocabulary; effective description; metaphoric language; creative writing Science: Discussions of animal kingdom classifications; species behavior; environmental change; endangered species Social Studies: Discussions of ethnicity; royal symbolism; climate zone; guilds; oral history; political and martial symbolism IYARE! Doors to Learning Object Door Leopard 2008 Kathy Curnow Page 1 of 8

2 Art Drawing of a motif on a 19 th century Benin ivory tusk University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 2008 Leopard: The leopard is an important Benin symbol for the king, referring to both his beauty and his deadliness. In Benin art, depictions of animals are not photographic. Instead, some of their physical aspects are reduced, others exaggerated, to create shorthand versions. Inspiractions : Discuss the meaning of the terms naturalistic/realistic and abstract. Have students create a visual spectrum with images, going from one extreme to the other. Have students look at a photo, a scientific diagram, and a Benin image of a leopard. What traits are exaggerated or altered in the Benin version? What becomes the most important? What traits vanish? Have students go to the Primary Sources section of the IYARE! website s Palace School (Resource section) and open the Pitt-Rivers book. Have them find as many references to leopards as possible and discuss how much variation the different versions have. What patterns are used to represent their markings? Discuss the concept of proportion with students. Ask them to compare the proportions of an actual leopard with Benin images, then compare actual human proportions (particularly head to body proportions) with those represented in Benin art. IYARE! Doors to Learning Object Door Leopard 2008 Kathy Curnow Page 2 of 8

3 English & Language Arts Vocabulary 19 th century brass leopard from the Benin Kingdom, Nigeria University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 2008 Leopard: The Ọba of Benin is identified with the leopard. One word describes the leopard as a wild animal (atalakpa), while another word (ẹkpẹn) describes the animal as a royal symbol. The royal animal is called ẹkpẹn n oha ( leopard of the bush ), while the monarch is called ẹkpẹn n owa ( leopard of the house ). Inspiractions : With this definition in mind, one can adapt activities to appropriate grade levels. Vocabulary: English words associated with the leopard include feline, predatory, prey, and nocturnal. Have students use the dictionary to look up the meaning an etymology of these words. Discuss figurative language, then have students correctly apply the words to human beings. Symbolism: Have students consider animal references in similes and metaphors dogs, cats, bears, lions, birds, etc. What animals can they think of without any associations? Can they create some? Euphemisms: Define the concept of the euphemism. The Benin monarch is a divine king; he is said not to eat, sleep, or die. Allusions to these behaviors refer to the leopard: The leopard is in the shelter means he is asleep; The leopard is in the wilderness means he is sick. What are some other euphemisms that could be created? Wordplay: If a hunter accidentally killed a leopard in Benin, he had to bring it to the city and respond to a grilling by palace officials. They would ask him repeatedly what kind of leopard it was, ẹkpẹn n oha or ẹkpẹn n owa. If, under stress, he mistakenly said ẹkpẹn n owa, he was killed, for it was as if he had admitted to assassination. Discuss puns, tongue twisters and other forms of wordplay with your students and have them experiment. IYARE! Doors to Learning Object Door Leopard 2008 Kathy Curnow Page 3 of 8

4 Creative Writing: Have students transform the brief oral history pertaining to Ọba Ẹwuare from the Social Studies section into a short story, but place it into a contemporary American setting. IYARE! Doors to Learning Object Door Leopard 2008 Kathy Curnow Page 4 of 8

5 Science: Biology and Environment Brass leopard head, Benin Kingdom, Nigeria, 19 th century University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 2008 Leopard: The leopard (Panthera pardus) is an important feline in the Benin Kingdom, along with the cheetah; lions are confined to the Nigerian savannah, and are not in this area, while leopards occupy both savannah and forest. General traits: Leopards are also found in Asia, and closely related species are known in the Americas Inspiractions : With this in mind, one can adapt activities to appropriate grade levels. 1. Taxonomical classification: Discussion of Linneus and the biological classification of organisms; defining animals in terms of Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species. Have students hunt for different types of giant felines and see where and why they are differentiated on the taxonomical chart. 2. Adaptation and Evolution: What part do the leopard s spots play in its survival? How have other giant cats markings adapted to their environment and habits? How does leopard behavior compare to domestic housecat behavior? Do leopards and cheetahs, both of which live in the Benin region, compete for food? 3. Environment: Leopards are found in both Nigeria s forested region and in the savannah. With deforestation for timber (particularly tropical hardwoods for furniture) increasingly common in Benin, will the leopard likely be affected? What of the cheetah? Was the leopard ever an endangered species? The luxury fur trade included leopard skin; how did the anti-fur movement impact endangerment? IYARE! Doors to Learning Object Door Leopard 2008 Kathy Curnow Page 5 of 8

6 Social Studies Detail of a 16 th century brass plaque from the Benin Kingdom, Nigeria University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 2008 Leopard: Leopard pelts were used by the Benin army, and special guilds of hunters captured cubs and hunted leopards. They were an important royal symbol in Benin and in other West and Central African states. Leopard skins were likewise exported to the West for furs, part of long distance trade routes. Geography: Climate zones tie economy to the land, and provide useful clues to the parameters of historical possibility. Understanding the variety of zones and geographical features near Benin provides insights to the kingdom s interactions with its neighbors in the past; modern geographical boundaries show more recent developments. Inspiractions : Map exercises teach valuable skills. Have students go to Google Earth (download free program on and find their school, then use their own understanding to map how they reach school from their house. Introduce key concepts of scale and landmarks. Have students use the Internet to download the historic/regional map of Benin on then find maps that show Nigeria s climate zones and current 36 states. Have them investigate Nigeria on Google Earth as well (download free program on Teach them how to use map keys to determine distance on a printed map, then how to do the same on Google Earth. Using Google Earth, have them trace the waterways into the Niger Delta, and look at the coastal creek system within Nigeria. Using Google Earth, have them compare the foliage and earth color with the climate zones listed on a print map. Discuss the terms rainforest, savanna, sahel, and desert, and investigate where these are found within Nigeria. Which category does the IYARE! Doors to Learning Object Door Leopard 2008 Kathy Curnow Page 6 of 8

7 Benin Kingdom fall into? At its height, did it the kingdom s borders include other types of geographic zones? Leopards are both a forest and savannah animal. Have students determine which Benin falls within. Discuss the concept of ethnic group as opposed to nationality. Why is the term tribe a loaded one for Americans? What associations do we have regarding historic period, size, social organization, settlement, and activities connected to this term? Send students to to compare the population size of Nigeria s Edo with that of the Dutch, the Irish, the Apache, the Tamil, and the Aztec, as well as with Nigeria s Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa. The leopard is an important leadership symbol for the Kom and Bamileke of Cameroon, the Igbo and Yoruba of Nigeria, the Fon of the Republic of Benin and many other people. Have students research these groups and discover which are organized into kingdoms, and how sizable each group is. Economic organization: Benin had numerous hereditary royal guilds, most including titled men or chiefs at their head. Those resident in the capital lived in specific wards; others were sited in particular villages. Before 1897, the guilds worked exclusively for the king or at his command. The Ọba paid guild members with animals, land, and/or wives. Guilds included the Iviekpen and Ivekpen; the former were hunters who captured adult leopards for royal sacrifices and cubs to serve as semi-trame palace animals, while the latter were the butchers who sacrificed and skinned the leopards. These two guilds are no longer active. Inspiraction : Have students look into the European concept of guilds and compare them to Benin royal guilds in terms of organization, payment, duties, etc. Oral History: One of Benin s 15 th century rulers, Ọba Ẹwuare, is particularly linked to the leopard and its use in sacrifice. Exiled for his misdeeds and wandering in the wilderness, a Benin prince lay down under a tree to sleep. Awakened in the morning by a steady drip on his head, he looked up to find a leopard in the tree, the blood of its prey falling on him. Beneath him, a deadly viper was coiled. He slew these animals, dedicating them to his head, the body part the Ẹdo believe is the seat of destiny. From disgrace, he rose to become the 15 th century Ọba Ẹwuare, one of Benin s most famed monarchs. He instituted the annual festival of Igue to strengthen and protect the royal person. Inspiractions : Discuss how oral and written history differ, and how one has come to have greater authority than the other. Discuss how historical events can be mythologized. Ẹwuare demonstrated his control over the leopard, and his identification with it, since he shared its beauty and deadliness. A number of African rulers likewise are associated with the leopard; have students explore the following website to spot connects to leopard imagery: Be sure to check all three pages on the site. Have students use the Internet to look at historical portraits of European kings from the 15 th to the 18 th century; what visual connections to wild animals can they find? IYARE! Doors to Learning Object Door Leopard 2008 Kathy Curnow Page 7 of 8

8 Leopard symbolism: The Ọba had the sole right to take like in the Benin Kingdom, but he could delegate it. Soldiers wore real and appliquéd leopard pelts, as well as necklaces of leopards teeth. Some officers bore brass leopard head pendants on their hips. Have students go through the Exhibits section of this website and find all the leopard references, then find other Internet references to Benin leopard usage in art. Do any seem unrelated to the king s power to take life? The leopard was also his visual counterpart; do the non-war images seem related to political power? IYARE! Doors to Learning Object Door Leopard 2008 Kathy Curnow Page 8 of 8