Kuba Belt

Lesson Objectives

Students will learn about the cultural significance and symbolism of the royal yet belt through close looking, reading, and discussion.

Students will brainstorm and share leaders in their life that they admire. They will design a charm bracelet for the selected leader they admire using symbols exhibiting their role and attributes.

Introduction

The 23 pendants hanging from this belt create a lively collection of patterns and materials. Now imagine the belt around the waist of a king in full regalia, pendants swaying and clinking with his every step. For the Kuba people of central Africa, each shape and pattern proclaimed a message about the power of the Kuba king.

Warm-Up Questions

• Take a moment to look at the belt. What do you notice first? What else do you see?
• How would you describe some of the shapes and designs to a friend?

Background

Kuba Society

The Kuba (KOO-bah) kingdom, located in today’s Democratic Republic of Congo, was a place of great wealth in the late 1800s. Under the king, the nobility competed for rank and status. Richly ornamented clothing allowed them to show off their position, power, and wealth. Styles from that time are still worn on ceremonial occasions today.

Rules controlled who could wear what. The grandest clothing was for the king and his family. Only royalty could wear this type of belt. It’s a yet belt, which holds heavy pendants. The pendants are shaped like various objects associated with royalty. For example, this belt has two pendants in the form of a ram’s head, a symbol of the king. Two other pendants resemble a double bell, an instrument used at court.

A belt like this was just one part of the royal regalia. A king’s complete outfit—including skirts, belts, hats, collars, necklaces, bracelets, armbands, anklets, and other ornaments—could weigh up to 185 pounds. He needed the help of assistants just to move. The heavy costume, with its precious shells and beads, symbolized the ruler’s privilege as king and also the burden of his responsibilities.

A king continued to add to his costume throughout his reign. Most yet belts have 20 or 30 pendants on them. One king had 80 pendants on one of his yet belts by the end of his rule.

• Turn and Talk: What did you notice first when you looked at the belt?

Glass Beads and Cowrie Shells

Glass beads and cowrie shells were the most precious materials in traditional Kuba decoration. Their rarity made them valuable. Glass beads came from Europe through trade. Cowries are the shiny shells of small warm-water mollusks that came from Africa’s distant coastal waters. Throughout Africa, cowries were used as money.

The more beads and cowries on a garment, the greater the wearer’s wealth and status. Royal garments had the most. Besides showing off someone’s wealth, the beads and shells had value purely as decoration.

The dramatic colors of glass beads never faded, and beads could be stitched into any number of patterns. The shiny white cowrie shells could be attached in different ways that added to the design. They might be threaded through their slits, so that the slits made a pattern of lines. Attached through holes drilled in their rounded backs, they formed little circles. And dangling from the bottom of a pendant, they became a fringe.

Patterns: Names and Meanings in Kuba Life

Patterns appear everywhere in Kuba life carved on wooden boxes and bowls, woven in skirts and rugs, even built into the walls of buildings and etched in the skin.

Intricate variations of patterns have their own names. A name recalling an object or something in nature can add to the design’s symbolism. For example, the razor’s edge pattern of triangles on one of this belt’s pendants is said to refer to the king’s ability to make decisions. The leopard’s branch design on another pendant suggests royal power, since the king is often compared to a leopard.

Inventing a new pattern is regarded as a sign of intelligence. Sometimes a pattern is known by the name of the king who laid claim to it in hopes of receiving credit for its cleverness.

• Turn and Talk: Think about patterns you see around your classroom, on clothing, or at home. What names are attached to some of these patterns?

Art Activity

Materials

• Paper
• Pencil
• Drawing materials: colored pencils, crayons, markers, etc.
• Optional: You can use Model Magic to create 3D beads for the charm bracelet.

Guided Practice

The heavy pendants of a yet belt are symbols of the king’s powers and responsibilities. Design a charm bracelet for a leader in your life bearing symbols of their role as a leader. What does each symbol stand for?

Instructions

1. Select a leader in your life. This could be a teacher, athlete, family member, celebrity, etc.
2. Create a list of what makes this leader special.
3. Assign a symbol or design for each attribute.
4. Design a charm bracelet for this leader.

Reflection

Share your design with a partner, small group, or the whole group. What would you call your charm bracelet? Why did you choose that word to describe the charm bracelet for your leader?

Additional Learning Activities

Patterns All Around

Kuba artists are famous for applying patterns to all kinds of objects. Look around you and make a list of all the objects and surfaces you see that have patterns on them. What else could be decorated with a pattern that is not already?

Imitation Objects

The pendants on a yet belt are often decorative imitations of other objects, like seashells, ram’s heads, or musical instruments. Such ornaments are known as skeuomorphs. Choose a favorite object of yours. Then make a 3D replica of it using one or two different materials for decorative effect (consider using beads, Model Magic, buttons, beans, popcorn kernels, or bottle caps).

Minnesota State Standards

Visual Arts

5.0.4.7.1–5.9.4.7.1 Respond: Analyze and construct interpretations of artistic work.

5.0.5.9.1–5.5.5.9.1 Connect: Integrate knowledge and personal experiences while responding to, creating, and presenting artistic work.