Introduction
I will start by noting that this portfolio is intended to be a part of a bigger project, Performance of Heritages at the British Museum, which includes dances from Africa and Asia continents. This project has been influenced by my choreographic performance, which was created and performed in different rooms in one residence by different bodies. Adamu is a jumping dance from the Maasai community located in east of Africa, Kenya and Tanzania. Teenage boys, young adults who are the bold and fierce army that defends and protects the community known as Morans and junior elders dance it (Britannica, 2019) .
The climax of his art was his jump. He leaped high into the air, and there stayed for what seemed several seconds. Face and body suggested that he was to mount still further, do the Indian rope trick with himself as rope, hurl himself up into space through an invisible ceiling and disappear. But then he came down – and here was the second miracle – more slowly than he had gone up, landing as softly as a deer clearing a hedge of snow (Buckle in O'Shea et al., 2010: 221) . |
Here, Buckle explicates how a jump in a dance can be a fascinating movement so much so the audience refer to it as a ‘miracle’. This description may explain the effect of a jump in the mind of Adamu bigger group of dancers standing and watching others dance and compare the various dancers realisations of the jumps. Jumping is done in a competitive mode whereby each dancer tries to show his virtuosity in jumping. Dancers stand in line or curved semi circles or circle formations depending on the context. Here one dancer leaves the formation and comes to the front or centre depending on formation and jumps. After a while, the jumpers do it in trios and duos (see video, Maasai lifestyle, 2017). It is performed for leisure and over time, it has been commodified to be a performance for spectacle in inter-schools music festivals in Kenya, tourist performances and other executive functions like national days. All these performances have introduced several possible choreographies for Adamu. I propose to use Adamu choreographed for its main function in the Maasai homestead, known as manyatta. This choreography is in line with its common function of social, leisure and celebratory events like the Maasai rites of passage. In 2018, the Kenyan government enlisted three male rites of passage (Enkipaata, Eunoto and Olng' esherr) to the Intangible Cultural Heritage urgent safeguarding list. These ceremonies are marked with Adamu dancing hence making it a piece that needs safeguarding (See UNESCO, 2018).
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Photos of Adamu dance performance, one dancer jumping at the center front as the other dancers
stand in linear formation watching, Photo courtesy of (Pemburi Tours,2020)
stand in linear formation watching, Photo courtesy of (Pemburi Tours,2020)
Connecting to the British Museum
I have chosen the British Museum as the performance space for this project. This space is well-known for its leading collections and richness in the history of the people of the world (Tripadvisior, 2018). Among the collections are some Maasai artefacts and traditional regalia items situated in the African section of the museum. In their quest to explore the world, the British settled in Kenya. In the late 19th century, the Maasai were among the first communities to interact with the British (Waller, 1976). In 1904, Olonana, the Olaibon, king of the Maasai at the time agreed to an alliance that would mutually benefit his community and the British. This treaty drove a wedge between him and Senteu, his brother, who lived in the German territory, today's Tanzania (Waller, 1976). It is within this colonial era that the British museum acquired some Maasai artefacts. However, some other items have been collected by the museum in the post-colonial era. These include items bought by British travellers touring East Africa (British Museum, 2020).
British East Africa 1940s, photo of a British officer Awarding a group of Maasai leaders. An image from a series of images that appear to be the work of an anonymous British army officer posted to the region during the latter stages of WW2. Photo courtesy of Pump park Vintage Photography(Alamy Limited, 2020)
Even after Kenya's independence from British colonial rule, Kenya has maintained a stable relationship with the British. However, in the recent past there has been some efforts by Kenyan historians and the government of Kenya to try to get back documents taken by the British during the colonial rule(Anderson, 2011). Some of these efforts have bore fruit, which helped Kenya's Mau Mau freedom fighters in their case against the British for the atrocities that were committed to them (BBC, 2013).
Portrait photo of a Moran, Maasai Warrior, taken between 1880 to 1960 from the British Museum collection (British Museum,2020)
Adamu and the British Museum
The British Museum has some Maasai artefacts in its collection. These artefacts include bangles, belts, swords and necklaces among others. It is important to note that the Maasai artefacts displayed in the collection were taken during the colonial era while different individuals bought others in the post-colonial era during their individual visits to Kenya (British Museum, 2020). Some of the Maasai live in the Maasai Mara region. The British Museum has some Maasai artefacts in its collection. These artefacts include bangles, belts, swords and necklaces among others. It is important to note that the Maasai artefacts displayed in the collection were taken during the colonial era while different individuals bought others in the post-colonial era during their individual visits to Kenya (British Museum, 2020). Some of the Maasai live in the Maasai Mara region. The Maasai Mara is home to The Great Wildebeest Migration, one of the seven natural wonders of the world, as such, has become a tourist attraction. Therefore, it is normal for tourists to take back souvenirs during their touristic visits in the Maasai region and Kenyan tourist sites, and secure the community under the ‘tourist gaze’. These items are not artefacts to the Maasai but their typical traditional attire for day-to-day activities, including dancing Adamu. The Maasai culture and items have grown to be popular all over the world as symbols to represent African cultures in movies and stories. Since pre-colonial period, the British have been fond of travelling to East Africa. Flagshiped by Queen Elizabeth II, who was then a princess taking a holiday in Kenya on the 6th of February 1952, and would later return from the holiday to England as Queen (Best, 2012). To the British, travel plays a significant role in cognitive-perceptual education for the upper-class English male (see Dent, 1975). Other scholars like William and Shaw (1988) published statistics that claimed 40% of British people's free time is thought to be occupied by travel.
Tourism Gaze
Having established the colonial link of the Maasai to the British, it is important to briefly discuss the tourism gaze, which I believe contributed to the post-colonial collection of items from the Maasai. Gazing is caused by cultural principles that make one believe something is interesting as ways of seeing are culturally patterned (see Urry and Larsen, 2011:17, Berger 1972). It is vital to understand that tourist organisations aim to create performances and commodities suitable for the tourist gaze. These organisations work with indigenous groups to create pseudo-events in an effort to gain more tourists (Benanav, 2013) . These events have encouraged more extravagant realisation, which in retrospect moves the actual concept of practice from indigenous groups (Urry and Larsen, 2011:23, Bakka and Karoblis, 2010:172,173). The effect of tourist gaze has continued to lead the Maasai community towards orchestrating performances for the tourist and commodifying their traditional regalia such as bangles, swords, necklaces among others (Snyder and Sulle, 2011) . These actions have not only popularised their attire such as ornaments, belts and clothes but also exported their trade and skill, which is an intangible cultural item to various parts of the world. Other business enterprises have mass produced these artefacts and benefited while at it. Rosati, a patent lawyer and blogger, has been in the forefront of shaming these business enterprises and advocating for protection of Maasai traditional knowledge (See Rosati, 2018). This project is not aimed at addressing misappropriation but to decode what the items on display mean to the Maasai.
Requesting to be shown a violent scene, for example, Bel initially rejects Klunchun’s performance as insufficiently violent until Klunchun decodes it for him (Klein and Noeth, 2011: 77).
This is clear indication that decoding enable the view meaning conveyed through form. Decoding will be by introducing bodies as a medium to transmit some of the Maasai intangible knowledge in the costumes and items on display. Most of the artefacts, if not all, have minimal information. As a native Maasai, I find some the information on display erroneous. Beyond the Palace Wall exhibited at the National Museums of Scotland, Edinburgh in 2006 depict how museums collections are displayed to suit the collector’s taste and priorities visa vee the ‘native owners’ of the pieces on display(Bryce and Carnegie, 2013:1745) . By attempting to decode, I hope that the audience not only experiences a part of the Maasai culture but also embody and understand the Maasai use and value of these items. This will, in turn, fill the gaps created by the museum in placing the items that belong on one body in different rooms and collections.
Performing in the Museum
Presenting dance works in regular museum spaces comes with unusual challenges for a museum as an institution. Work processes are quite different and both dance organisation and museum need time and sensibility to ‘tune in’ together” (Black et al., 2015:19)
Adamu performance will be sited in the African section of the museum. Dancers will be sectioned into four groups, with group 1 having the largest number of performers. The other groups will be stationed in the rooms containing the Maasai items on display. The audience will be asked to settle in any of the collection rooms. The performers in groups 2, 3 and 4 will be adorned in the Maasai attire and colours but will not have the complete set of adornment or items on the regalia. The performers will be native Maasai unlike my choreographic performance where the performers were multi-ethnic. They will each be costumed with one element of adornment and will correspond with a particular item on display in the room that they are in. Group 1 will remain at the open space in the African section. This open space will host the climax and end of the performance. The dancers will use song and chants as an accompaniment to the movement and cue to starting different sections of the choreography. For example, to start the dance, the dance leader who is part of group 1 will sing a call phrase that will cue the rest of the groups to start their performance in the rooms. After groups 2 to 4 dance 6 cycles, they will start to sing a different song that will cue the locomotion movements to the open space where group 1 is stationed. In doing this movement, the dancers will notify the audience to follow them. On reaching the open space, the dancers will place the ornament and items from those that resemble the ‘authentic’ ones in the collections, to fully deck themselves in traditional Maasai regalia.
The above actions will simultaneously happen while all the performers are chanting and singing. Once the adornment of the costume is done, the dance leader will welcome the audience. He will also inform them that they could freely join the dancing with the help from group 2 to 4 performers who will be in the midst of the audience. The voices and singing not only offer cues but also mark the climax of the dance. Lastly, the sounds from the body and costumes hitting each other play a big role in shifting the gaze from the traditional museum ways of appreciation of artefacts, to infusing an understanding of use and meaning to the Maasai artefacts (See Project outline for further details).
The Adamu performance will be done in the African section of the museum. Dancers will be grouped into four groups, with group one having the largest number of performers. The other groups will be stationed in the rooms containing the Maasai items on display. The audience will be asked to get into any of the collection rooms. Group two, three and four will be adorned in the Maasai attire and colours but will not have all the ornaments or items of the regalia. In that they will only have one ornament, this will be a particular item on display in the room that they are in. Group 1 will remain at the open space in the African section. This space will host the climax and end of the performance. The dancers will use song and chants as an accompaniment to the movement and cue to starting different sections of the choreography. For example, to start the dance, the dance leader who is part of group 1 will sing a call phrase that will cue the rest of the groups to start their performance in the rooms. After groups 2 to 4 dance 6 cycles, they will start to sing a different song that will cue the locomotion movements to the open space where group 1 is stationed. In doing this movement, the dancers will notify the audience to follow them. On reaching the open space, the dancers will place the traditional artefacts on the group one dancers. These artefacts will include bangles, spears, clubs and headdress among others. The above actions will simultaneously happen while all the performers are chanting and singing. Once the adornment of the costume is done, the dance leader will welcome the audience. He will also inform them that they could freely join the dancing with the help from group 2 to 4 performers who will be in the midst of the audience. The voices and singing not only offer cues but also mark the climax of the dance. Lastly, the percussive sounds of the body and costumes play a big role in shifting the gaze from the traditional museum ways of appreciation of artefacts to include an auditory experience, to infusing an understanding of use and meaning to the Maasai artefacts (See Project outline for further details).
The above actions will simultaneously happen while all the performers are chanting and singing. Once the adornment of the costume is done, the dance leader will welcome the audience. He will also inform them that they could freely join the dancing with the help from group 2 to 4 performers who will be in the midst of the audience. The voices and singing not only offer cues but also mark the climax of the dance. Lastly, the sounds from the body and costumes hitting each other play a big role in shifting the gaze from the traditional museum ways of appreciation of artefacts, to infusing an understanding of use and meaning to the Maasai artefacts (See Project outline for further details).
The Adamu performance will be done in the African section of the museum. Dancers will be grouped into four groups, with group one having the largest number of performers. The other groups will be stationed in the rooms containing the Maasai items on display. The audience will be asked to get into any of the collection rooms. Group two, three and four will be adorned in the Maasai attire and colours but will not have all the ornaments or items of the regalia. In that they will only have one ornament, this will be a particular item on display in the room that they are in. Group 1 will remain at the open space in the African section. This space will host the climax and end of the performance. The dancers will use song and chants as an accompaniment to the movement and cue to starting different sections of the choreography. For example, to start the dance, the dance leader who is part of group 1 will sing a call phrase that will cue the rest of the groups to start their performance in the rooms. After groups 2 to 4 dance 6 cycles, they will start to sing a different song that will cue the locomotion movements to the open space where group 1 is stationed. In doing this movement, the dancers will notify the audience to follow them. On reaching the open space, the dancers will place the traditional artefacts on the group one dancers. These artefacts will include bangles, spears, clubs and headdress among others. The above actions will simultaneously happen while all the performers are chanting and singing. Once the adornment of the costume is done, the dance leader will welcome the audience. He will also inform them that they could freely join the dancing with the help from group 2 to 4 performers who will be in the midst of the audience. The voices and singing not only offer cues but also mark the climax of the dance. Lastly, the percussive sounds of the body and costumes play a big role in shifting the gaze from the traditional museum ways of appreciation of artefacts to include an auditory experience, to infusing an understanding of use and meaning to the Maasai artefacts (See Project outline for further details).
Project Plan
The performance will need a minimum of 10 to 15 native Maasai male performers as prescribed by the dance’s traditions. These performers will be picked from the Kenyan Maasai counties with the help of county government cultural ministries. Group 1 will have the most dancers while groups 2, 3 and 4 will each have two dancers. This grouping is in an effort to help the audience negotiate space in the collection rooms, and also offer a form of protection for the items on display from damage or any interference. The performers will donate one full set of traditional regalia to the museum collection for future displays as one complete item, and not currently in the itemised display. The project budget will cost approximately 33,000 British sterling pounds with 70% of the budget going into travel and board for the performers from Maasai land. The rest of the budget will be appropriated in empowering the performers by creating a fund for future performance. To factor individual performer's remuneration costs, the performers will carry other traditional items of the costumes to sell to the audiences. The performers will also have an opportunity to host workshops and perform in various heritage sites in London. These activities will help in acquiring sponsorship and offsetting the budget costs. I believe that these plans will go a long way in sustaining the intangible skill of crafts and Adamu dance. In conclusion, this project aims to decode knowledge stored in artefacts displayed in British museum by introducing bodies. The native Maasai bodies not only add aesthetic to the stationary artefact but also shift the typical museum gaze and appreciation. I hope that this maiden Adamu performance will open up more performances by indigenous groups at various heritage sites that display their traditional items across the globe.
Bibliography
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BBC (2013) Mau Mau torture victims to receive compensation - Hague, 6th June. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22790037 (Accessed: 30 April 2020).
Benanav, M. (2013) Through the eyes of the maasai. The New York Times. August 9,. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/11/travel/through-the-eyes-of-the-maasai.html (Accessed: 10th May 2020).
Best (2012) The day Princess Elizabeth became Queen. The Guardian, 8th January 2012. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/jan/08/queen-elizabeth-treetops-kenya (Accessed: 06 May 2020)
Black, B. et al. (2015) An age of museums: A symposium. Salmagundi: A Quarterly of the Humanities & Social Sciences. (187) pp.468.
Boorstin, D. (1964) The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America. New York: Harper.
Britannica (2019) Maasai | History, Language, Location, & Facts. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Maasai (Accessed: May 9, 2020).
Bryce, D. and Carnegie, E. (2013) Exhibiting the 'Orient': Historicising Theory and Curatorial Practice in UK Museums and Galleries. DOI: 10.1068/a45359 Available at: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,athens&db=edswah&AN=000323466500017&site=eds-live .
Dent, K. (1975) Travel as Education: the English Landed Classes in the Eighteenth Century, Educational Studies, 1 (3), pp. 171-180. doi: 10.1080/0305569750010303
Williams, A. and Shaw, G. (1988) Western European tourism in perspective, in A. Williams and G. Shaw (ed.) Tourism and Economic Development. London: Belhaven Press. pp. 12–38.
Klein, G. and Noeth, S. (2011) Emerging Bodies: The Performance of Worldmaking in Dance and Choreography. Bielefeld: Transcript.(Accessed: 2020-05-10T11:38:26+0000).
Limited, A. (2020) Stock Photo - 1940'S East Africa Kenya Maasai Tribe Warriors. Available at: https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-1940s-east-africa-kenya-maasai-tribe-warriors-177233147.html (Accessed: May 9, 2020).
Limited, A. (2020) Stock Photo - 1940'S East Africa Kenya Maasai Tribe Warriors. Available at: https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-1940s-east-africa-kenya-maasai-tribe-warriors-177233147.html (Accessed: May 9, 2020).
Maasai Lifestyle (2017): Maasai jumping contest [YouTube].Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MO9B2jLOgw (Accessed: 27th April 2020).
O'Shea, J., Carter, A. and ProQuest (Firm) (2010) The Routledge Dance Studies Reader. (2nd ed. edn.) Abingdon, Oxon; New York: Routledge.(Accessed: 2020-05-10T10:02:34+0000).
Rosati, Eleonora. (2018) Protection of traditional knowledge and cultural expressions: the case of 'Maasai IP. 30th January. Available at: http://ipkitten.blogspot.com/2018/01/protection-of-traditional-knowledge-and.html (Accessed: 7 May 2020).
Snyder, K.A. and Sulle, E.B. (2011) Tourism in Maasai Communities: A Chance to Improve Livelihoods? DOI: 10.1080/09669582.2011.579617 Available at: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,athens&db=edswss&AN=000299284100002&site=eds-live .
Snyder, K.A. and Sulle, E.B. (2011) Tourism in Maasai Communities: A Chance to Improve Livelihoods? DOI: 10.1080/09669582.2011.579617 Available at: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,athens&db=edswss&AN=000299284100002&site=eds-live .
Tripadvisior (2018) MediaRoom - Media Center. Available at: https://tripadvisor.mediaroom.com/press-releases?item=126061 (Accessed: May 10, 2020).
United Natiions Scientific and Cultural Organisation (2015) Enkipaata, Eunoto and Olng'esherr, three male rites of passage of the Maasai community report 2018. Mauritius: Intangible Cultural Heritage meeting. Available at: https://ich.unesco.org/en/USL/enkipaata-eunoto-and-olng-esherr-three-male-rites-of-passage-of-the-maasai-community-01390 (Accesed: 5th of May 2020)
Urry, J. and Larsen, J. (2011) The Tourist Gaze 3.0. (3rd ed. edn.) Los Angeles; London: SAGE. Available at: http://capitadiscovery.co.uk/roehampton/items/689170 (Accessed: 2020-05-08T14:13:03+0000).See Urry and Larsen, 2011:17, Berger 1972).
Waller, R. (1976) The Maasai and the British 1895–1905 the origins of an alliance, The Journal of African History. 17(4) pp.529-553. doi: 10.1017/S002185370001505X .
Bakka, E. and Karoblis, G. (2010) Writing a Dance: Epistemology for Dance Research. Available at: http://capitadiscovery.co.uk/roehampton/items/eds/edo/57313026 (Accessed:2020-04-11T12:21:53+0000).
BBC (2013) Mau Mau torture victims to receive compensation - Hague, 6th June. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22790037 (Accessed: 30 April 2020).
Benanav, M. (2013) Through the eyes of the maasai. The New York Times. August 9,. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/11/travel/through-the-eyes-of-the-maasai.html (Accessed: 10th May 2020).
Best (2012) The day Princess Elizabeth became Queen. The Guardian, 8th January 2012. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/jan/08/queen-elizabeth-treetops-kenya (Accessed: 06 May 2020)
Black, B. et al. (2015) An age of museums: A symposium. Salmagundi: A Quarterly of the Humanities & Social Sciences. (187) pp.468.
Boorstin, D. (1964) The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America. New York: Harper.
Britannica (2019) Maasai | History, Language, Location, & Facts. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Maasai (Accessed: May 9, 2020).
Bryce, D. and Carnegie, E. (2013) Exhibiting the 'Orient': Historicising Theory and Curatorial Practice in UK Museums and Galleries. DOI: 10.1068/a45359 Available at: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,athens&db=edswah&AN=000323466500017&site=eds-live .
Dent, K. (1975) Travel as Education: the English Landed Classes in the Eighteenth Century, Educational Studies, 1 (3), pp. 171-180. doi: 10.1080/0305569750010303
Williams, A. and Shaw, G. (1988) Western European tourism in perspective, in A. Williams and G. Shaw (ed.) Tourism and Economic Development. London: Belhaven Press. pp. 12–38.
Klein, G. and Noeth, S. (2011) Emerging Bodies: The Performance of Worldmaking in Dance and Choreography. Bielefeld: Transcript.(Accessed: 2020-05-10T11:38:26+0000).
Limited, A. (2020) Stock Photo - 1940'S East Africa Kenya Maasai Tribe Warriors. Available at: https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-1940s-east-africa-kenya-maasai-tribe-warriors-177233147.html (Accessed: May 9, 2020).
Limited, A. (2020) Stock Photo - 1940'S East Africa Kenya Maasai Tribe Warriors. Available at: https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-1940s-east-africa-kenya-maasai-tribe-warriors-177233147.html (Accessed: May 9, 2020).
Maasai Lifestyle (2017): Maasai jumping contest [YouTube].Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MO9B2jLOgw (Accessed: 27th April 2020).
O'Shea, J., Carter, A. and ProQuest (Firm) (2010) The Routledge Dance Studies Reader. (2nd ed. edn.) Abingdon, Oxon; New York: Routledge.(Accessed: 2020-05-10T10:02:34+0000).
Rosati, Eleonora. (2018) Protection of traditional knowledge and cultural expressions: the case of 'Maasai IP. 30th January. Available at: http://ipkitten.blogspot.com/2018/01/protection-of-traditional-knowledge-and.html (Accessed: 7 May 2020).
Snyder, K.A. and Sulle, E.B. (2011) Tourism in Maasai Communities: A Chance to Improve Livelihoods? DOI: 10.1080/09669582.2011.579617 Available at: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,athens&db=edswss&AN=000299284100002&site=eds-live .
Snyder, K.A. and Sulle, E.B. (2011) Tourism in Maasai Communities: A Chance to Improve Livelihoods? DOI: 10.1080/09669582.2011.579617 Available at: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,athens&db=edswss&AN=000299284100002&site=eds-live .
Tripadvisior (2018) MediaRoom - Media Center. Available at: https://tripadvisor.mediaroom.com/press-releases?item=126061 (Accessed: May 10, 2020).
United Natiions Scientific and Cultural Organisation (2015) Enkipaata, Eunoto and Olng'esherr, three male rites of passage of the Maasai community report 2018. Mauritius: Intangible Cultural Heritage meeting. Available at: https://ich.unesco.org/en/USL/enkipaata-eunoto-and-olng-esherr-three-male-rites-of-passage-of-the-maasai-community-01390 (Accesed: 5th of May 2020)
Urry, J. and Larsen, J. (2011) The Tourist Gaze 3.0. (3rd ed. edn.) Los Angeles; London: SAGE. Available at: http://capitadiscovery.co.uk/roehampton/items/689170 (Accessed: 2020-05-08T14:13:03+0000).See Urry and Larsen, 2011:17, Berger 1972).
Waller, R. (1976) The Maasai and the British 1895–1905 the origins of an alliance, The Journal of African History. 17(4) pp.529-553. doi: 10.1017/S002185370001505X .