Old Thorn Carving Nativity Set from Nigeria (Yoruba)

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Thorn carvings are a 20th Century development in Western Nigeria (Yorubaland), having begun in Shagamu in the 1930s. The headmaster of a school in Shagamu encouraged his boys to carve stamps (such as those used for adinkra printing) out of the soft thorns of local trees to mark (identify) their books. The boys began decorating the stamp handles with carvings of heads, figures, animals, etc.; and the carvings were so popular that they soon became the raison d'etre for carving thorns! The figures are carved from the thorns of the ata tree (for the light and dark brown thorns) and the egun egun tree (for the pink thorns). The thorns vary in size from small points to large growths which can be as much as four or five inches thick. The thorns are soft and easy to carve. Figures are carved in sections, using the three different colors for face and hands (or arms), clothing, animals, etc.; then the parts are glued together. The carvers use the grain in some thorns to show the swirl in robes, the curve of fruits/vegetables or pots, and the detail of faces. These unique carvings are made to show all aspects of Yoruba daily life. The creche (nativity scene) contains figures of Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus in the manger, the three kings (or wise men), a shepherd with his little flock, and an angel watching over the baby. The figures stand read more

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