Chokwe Art and Initiation Among Chokwe and Related Peoples (Hardcover)  

Magnificently loaded with elegant plates of ceremonial and tribal objects from the Chokwe tribe and others in Angola, this exhibition catalog accompanies a show originating at the Birmingham Museum of Art in Alabama; editor Jordan, who spent more than two years with the Chokwe and related tribes, is the museum's curator. The objects are mostly carved wood, but their polished, stylized vision of people and nature and the variety and especially the depth of feeling in masks raise them far above craft. The pieces are shown alone, as in a museum exhibit, with art stressed more than anthropology. To remedy this, seven scholarly articles by authorities on the Chokwe appear throughout, along with photos of native life. While this puts into context objects like whistles, thrones, and the intriguing divination baskets full of tiny magical charms, it has a somewhat choppy effect. One of a series of books on African art by Prestel (e.g., African Art from the Han Corey Collection, LJ 6/15/98 ), this covers a seldom-visited area rich in heritage. For larger art-oriented and college libraries. AGay W. Neale, Southside Virginia Community Coll. Lib., Alberta Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. 
Birmingham Museum of Art (Birm Ala.)