handmade gift

Thick yarns add rich texture to this fascinating kente cloth shawl by Gobah Tengey-Seddoh. Strips of black, white and Delft blue make a dramatic and handsome color combination. Designed and woven of coarse local cotton in the 12th century, the lokpo pattern means "heavy or thick in texture."

Each strip requires considerable effort, and the looms are worked with both hands and feet. Strips are generally three to four inches wide and seven to ten feet long, and the length of time it takes to complete one strip varies by the complexity of the chosen pattern. The simplest use mostly vertical, or warp patterns, and an experienced weaver can make several of those in one day. However patterns with nearly all weft (horizontal thread) patterns where the warp design is hardly visible can take up to four days to complete an individual strip. Each color has its own meanings in Asante culture. Green is fertility and new harvest, gold is royalty, black is strength, aging and spirituality, while white is purity. The patterns themselves are carefully chosen symbols, which a master weaver develops and names, often to honor people, historical events, or proverbs.

Seated with folded hands, an abstract person folds hands in prayer. Ghana's Francis Agbete explores the concept of spirituality with this elegant sculpture. He works in finely polished in African sese wood.

From the imagination and skilled hands of Ghanaian woodcarver Rita Addo Zakour comes this detailed wooden mask. Handcrafted of local sese wood with a satin finish and hand-hammered aluminum detailing. Zakour names her creation Ahoofie, from the Akan word for beauty. Comes with a leather tab for hanging.

Masterfully carving African ofram wood, Francis Agbete elicits realistic portraits of Saharan camels. "I found inspiration in their tough nature and ability to withstand harsh conditions," he confides. The handsome animals adorn a pair of bookends.

The mask of the Mumuye people features small dark eyes on a whitened face. Once upon a time this type of mask was used during pre-war ceremonies; today they are worn during rainmaking ceremonies and healing practices. Mumuye people live along the Benue River in eastern Nigeria. Working with seasoned sese wood, Christopher Nyasafo faithfully replicates the beauty of this millenary mask with painted details.

Designed by a fisherman around 1898, this intricate kente cloth pattern is inspired by beach pebbles. The tiny blocks of pattern represent the thoughts of that ancestral craftsman. Kpekui states a proverbial refrain: "pebbles of the shore are hard to crack." Handcrafted by the Gobah Tengey-Seddoh Family, this extraordinary double weave textile is one of the most difficult patterns to achieve.

Each strip requires considerable effort, and the looms are worked with both hands and feet. Strips are generally three to four inches wide and seven to ten feet long, and the length of time it takes to complete one strip varies by the complexity of the chosen pattern. The simplest use mostly vertical, or warp patterns, and an experienced weaver can make several of those in one day. But patterns with nearly all weft (horizontal thread) patterns, where the warp design is hardly visible, can take up to four days to complete an individual strip. Each color has its own meanings in Asante culture. Green is fertility and new harvest, gold is royalty, black is strength, aging, and spirituality, while white is purity. The patterns themselves are carefully chosen symbols, which a master weaver develops and names, often to honor people, historical events, or proverbs.

This face of solemn expression bears on its head the image of an elephant. For the Guro people of Cote d'Ivoire, this mask signifies strength and bravery. Guro masks are emblems of the spirits living in the underworld, which they worship and celebrate during special rituals and festivities. Salihu Ibrahim uses manual tools to carve this sese wood mask with the detailed care that characterizes Guro artistry.

Salihu Ibrahim crafts an extraordinary monkey mask with the artistic stylizations of Liberia's Dan people. Reserved for durbars, its purpose is to entertain those who have traveled miles and anxiously await the arrival of the chiefs. Ibrahim carves the sese wood mask by hand and adorns it with white clay details and jute.

This gorgeously beaded mask is the creation of artisan Abdul Aziz Mohamadu in Ghana. He carves the rubberwood mask by hand, and embellishes it with recycled glass beads of various colors. The beaded design on the forehead features the sankofa bird, an Akan adinkra symbol that means "to return to one's roots".

In the language of the Songye peoples of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, kifwebe are masks that represent spirits and feature striations. Salihu Ibrahim of Ghana presents a hand-carved sese wood mask in the Songye style, complete with a carved bird crest on top.

Hand-carved from sese wood, an elderly couple shares a loving moment together on a bench. The man rests his arm around his wife's shoulder while she places her hand on his waist. Remarks the designer, "It was their love that brought them this far."