York's Shona Gallery
The
Blog
Stories of the artists and peoples behind the work: the sculptors, tribes, and traditions that have shaped our collection.
March 15, 2018Tribe ProfileEast Africa
The Masaai Tribe
The Maasai are a Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting the semi-arid savannah of southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. Distinguished by their distinctive red shukas, elaborate beadwork, and warrior traditio...
October 22, 2017Tribe ProfileWest Africa
The Benin Kingdom
The Kingdom of Benin, centred on Benin City in present-day Nigeria, was one of the most sophisticated polities in pre-colonial Africa. At its height from the 13th to the 17th...