2:18 That stick looks like a Was scepter or a Somali Hangool missing the fork or bifurcation at the bottom. We have been using similar sticks going back thousands of years here in Somalia.
@1:40 That's what I've been trying to find in a video. I have something similar to that, but it has a more straight piece that comes off the head of the stick. It resembles a bird's beak with a narrow rounded point and it's a single piece of wood.
Great question. Folk art can be defined as art that is "of the people [and] is often an expression of community life and is distinguished from academic or self-conscious or cosmopolitan expression" (Miriam-Webster). Ali's walking stick is certainly an exceptional piece, showcasing great detail and artistic talent. The traditional nature and wood carving is what leads us to classify it as folk art.
When simple canes become works of art... Wonderful..
2:18 That stick looks like a Was scepter or a Somali Hangool missing the fork or bifurcation at the bottom.
We have been using similar sticks going back thousands of years here in Somalia.
@1:40 That's what I've been trying to find in a video. I have something similar to that, but it has a more straight piece that comes off the head of the stick. It resembles a bird's beak with a narrow rounded point and it's a single piece of wood.
Why is Ali's stick counted as a folk art piece? It is clearly a high skill artisanal piece of notoriety, how is the evaluation made then?
Great question. Folk art can be defined as art that is "of the people [and] is often an expression of community life and is distinguished from academic or self-conscious or cosmopolitan expression" (Miriam-Webster). Ali's walking stick is certainly an exceptional piece, showcasing great detail and artistic talent. The traditional nature and wood carving is what leads us to classify it as folk art.
They look like they do not like each other.