Date of Award
7-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Art
Department
Art
First Advisor
Marie N. Rareja
Second Advisor
Khristin Landry
Third Advisor
Sarah Cantor
Abstract
The Zafimaniry people are a community living in the southern highlands of Madagascar, most known for their geometric, low-relief works of art that they carve onto wooden surfaces throughout their villages. The shapes that make up the designs signify the Zafimaniry people's ideologies, but motifs carved into the homes specifically represent their beliefs about marriage and societal structure. Three metaphorical symbols have been translated within the motifs by the Zafimaniry people as the patriarch, the family, and the community. A comparative cultural study between the motifs on Zafimaniry window shutters and Swahili doorways reveal similarities in material culture, visual elements in their artwork, and the social significance of the carvings. Through applying these connections to three previously undescribed Zafimaniry motifs on window shutters, it becomes possible to further understand the Zafimaniry people's traditions surrounding the home, marriage, and the role these motifs serve in the Zafimaniry community.
Recommended Citation
Krupp, Emily, "Three Zafimaniry Carvings from the Southern Highlands of Madagascar and Their Symbolic Meaning" (2024). Theses. 1009.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/theses/1009
Creative Commons License
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