posted
I been hearing that the famous Shea Butter that is popular in not just Sub Sahara Africa, but also the African American community.
Has also been used by the Ancient Egyptians for similar cosmetic reason(skin/hair moisturizer).
Shea Butter: The Nourishing Properties of Africa's Best-Kept Natural Beauty
The Shea Tree where the butter comes from is mostly found more "southerly" in Africa, which means the Ancient Egyptians imported them.
Me being a fan of Shea Butter find it interesting that this practice of using Shea Butter has been going back as far as the Ancient Egyptians, yet it is still popular today. And also it shows that when it comes to cosmetics the Ancient Egyptian "way" was almost similar to other Africans, even today. Again just interesting to me.
Posts: 1891 | From: NY | Registered: Sep 2014
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posted
All cosmetics come from Africa. Face masks, oils, scents, soap, body paint, face paint, perfume all of it.
A lot of these things got to Europe via trade and contact with various African cultures over time and after colonization European companies began exporting these raw materials in bulk from plantations across Africa for the cosmetic industry.
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quote:Originally posted by Doug M: All cosmetics come from Africa. Face masks, oils, scents, soap, body paint, face paint, perfume all of it.
A lot of these things got to Europe via trade and contact with various African cultures over time and after colonization European companies began exporting these raw materials in bulk from plantations across Africa for the cosmetic industry.
Do you have a source for this? Because this got me interested.
Posts: 1891 | From: NY | Registered: Sep 2014
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quote:Originally posted by Doug M: All cosmetics come from Africa. Face masks, oils, scents, soap, body paint, face paint, perfume all of it.
A lot of these things got to Europe via trade and contact with various African cultures over time and after colonization European companies began exporting these raw materials in bulk from plantations across Africa for the cosmetic industry.
Do you have a source for this? Because this got me interested.
I was in Aswan, where I bought pure perfume oils. The story manager told me that major companies buy these perfume oils at these stores in Aswan. The tradition of perfume oils dates back to ancient times.
quote:Originally posted by Doug M: All cosmetics come from Africa. Face masks, oils, scents, soap, body paint, face paint, perfume all of it.
A lot of these things got to Europe via trade and contact with various African cultures over time and after colonization European companies began exporting these raw materials in bulk from plantations across Africa for the cosmetic industry.
Do you have a source for this? Because this got me interested.
I was in Aswan, where I bought pure perfume oils. The story manager told me that major companies buy these perfume oils at these stores in Aswan. The tradition of perfume oils dates back to ancient times.
quote:Originally posted by Doug M: All cosmetics come from Africa. Face masks, oils, scents, soap, body paint, face paint, perfume all of it.
A lot of these things got to Europe via trade and contact with various African cultures over time and after colonization European companies began exporting these raw materials in bulk from plantations across Africa for the cosmetic industry.
Do you have a source for this? Because this got me interested.
I was in Aswan, where I bought pure perfume oils. The story manager told me that major companies buy these perfume oils at these stores in Aswan. The tradition of perfume oils dates back to ancient times.
Interesting and thanks for the links. I do want to visit Aswan one day.
The second link holds lots of info in general...
The Nubian languages are unrelated to the Arabic and is an African language. The spoken Nubian is divided into the Fiadidja-Mahas and Kenuzi-Dongola. The Fiadidje-Mahas is spoken in Sudan, although more than 50% of the Nubians in Egypt belong to the Fiadidja. In Egypt, the language is spoken by all Nubians south of Kunuz. Fadidja and Mahas are two variants that hardly differ. The Kenuzi-Dongola is spoken by the Nubians of Dongola in Sudan and Kunuz in Egypt.
When the Nubians had to leave their original habitat by the creation of Lake Nasser, it was feared that the Nubian culture would disappear. Certainly what the music culture is concerned, those dire predictions did not materialize. On the contrary, Nubian music is very popular in Egypt and elsewhere, partly because many songs are performed in Arabic (with a Nubian accent). Nubian music was also an important source of influence of the blues before. Nubian music new style has a growing number of fans, not only inside but also outside the Nubian community. The Nubians also have their own dance styles, transferred from generation to generation (on weddings e.g.) and many tourists become acquainted with performances by Nubian folklore groups on cruise ships and in hotels.
quote:Originally posted by Doug M: All cosmetics come from Africa. Face masks, oils, scents, soap, body paint, face paint, perfume all of it.
A lot of these things got to Europe via trade and contact with various African cultures over time and after colonization European companies began exporting these raw materials in bulk from plantations across Africa for the cosmetic industry.
Do you have a source for this? Because this got me interested.
Oldest mine in the world found in Africa used to extract hematite and ochre for cosmetic purposes.
quote: The Ngwenya Mine is located on Bomvu Ridge, northwest of Mbabane and near the north-western border of Swaziland. This mine is considered to be the world's oldest. The haematite ore deposit was used in the Middle Stone Age to extract red ochre, while in later times the deposit was mined for iron smelting and iron ore export. Historic mining
Several stone age artefacts have been found in the mine during archaeological works in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their age was established with radiocarbon dating as older than 20.000 years. Later, radiocarbon dating yielded the age of the oldest mining activities as 41,000 to 43,000 years. This would make Ngwenya the oldest known mine. The site was known to Early Man for its deposits of red and specular haematite, used in cosmetics and rituals.
The best example currently is the Himba but all African cultures have it.
quote:Himba woman preparing incense, the smoke is used as a antimicrobial body cleansing agent, deodorant and fragrant, made by burning aromatic herbs and resins.
Facial beauty masks: Actually this is quite common across Africa but unless you know the right terms and phrases to search for it can be hard to find on internet:
quote: In the northern coastal region and islands of Mozambique, it’s common to come across women with faces covered with a natural white mask, called mussiro or n’siro. The purpose of the mask seems to have evolved over time. Nowadays it tends to be considered more as a means of beautifying the skin but, according to oral accounts, mussiro masks used to carry other subliminal messages related to the civil status of women.
Matope Jose, writing for the local Mozambican blog Mozmaníacos, sheds some light on its historical tradition: "The Nampula province is traditionally known as the land of muthiana orera (simply beautiful ladies). The women from that region of the country have a technique that is particular to them: they treat the skin from an early age, using a sought-after forest species called mussiro, a plant that by law must be preserved and multiplied, and that is used more generally by communities to cure various diseases, as well as for decorative purposes."
quote: The skin care industry often claims to be innovative with its research; it may be true to some degree but not so to a greater degree. The use of natural herbs and elements to maintain and protect the skin has been a norm within the African culture. I have decided to explore and share with you the different “skin care phenomenons” that have been practiced by Africans AWARE of the benefits that the natural remedies with deliver. In this first post I will share about the use of Ingceke or Umemezi by the Xhosa tribe.
Ingceke is used by Xhosa women for cosmetic purposes and protection from the external environment when working outside, and by the young men/men when they go through their initiation. My focus will be on its cosmetic use by the women. The women mix white clay along with Umemezi and apply it on to their faces, it was used to protect them from sunburn and the harsh weather; also said to have the benefits of minimizing pigmentation! It was also used as "makeup" regarded as a symbol of beauty by the women.
The Swahili people (or Waswahili) are an ethnic and cultural group inhabiting the African Great Lakes region. Members mainly reside on theSwahili Coast, in an area encompassing the Zanzibar archipelago, coastal Kenya, the Tanzania seaboard, and northern Mozambique. The name Swahili is derived from the Arabic word ‘Sawahil’ meaning “coasts”. Mainly united under the mother tongue of Kiswahili, a Bantu language, the Swahili people originate from Bantu inhabitants of the coast of Southeast Africa, in Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique.
The language of Kiswahili was derived when Arab, Persian, and other migrants who reached the coast as early as the 7th or 8th century AD mixed with the local Bantu people there, providing considerable cultural infusion and numerous loan words from Arabic and Persian.
Bantu/Arab settlements along the Southeast African coast are noted as early as the beginning of the 1st millennium. They evolved gradually from the 6th century onward to accommodate for an increase in trade (mainly with Arab merchants), population growth, and further centralised urbanisation; developing into what would later become known as the Swahili City-States.
Zanzibar and Pemba are one of those states, and their modern inhabitants have inherited a wealth of rich, traditional beauty rituals, using indigenous herbs, flowers and spices. Singo, a natural scrub traditionally used when a Zanzibar girl is preparing for her marriage. Singo is prepared from fresh jasmine, ylang ylang flowers, rose petals, mpatchori (not the famous patchouli but a sweet smelling herb growing mainly on Unguja), mpompia (geranium), mrehani (sweet basil) and liwa (sandalwood) ground together in a "Kinu" blender with a little rosewater. The bride to be undergoes a daily singo, the scrub exfoliating her skin, leaving her fragrant and glowing, with skin as soft as silk.
On a side note, there was a new African "luxury" fragrance launched recently called "scent of Africa" by a foreign owned Company in Ghana...
Scent of Africa not created by Africans.
quote: Africa is on the rise. It may come as a shock for many African Americans conditioned by the media to shun all things African, but the misnomered "Dark Continent" is actually embroiled in a white-hot renaissance as an emerging economic market, with booming growth potential for Middle Eastern, Chinese, Russian and American investors, and Africans in the diaspora eager to return home for a payday. Rising at 5.6% per year, Africa’s luxury retail sales are expected to exceed $5.2 billion by 2019.
The rest of the world can wait. This is for Africa, then the world.
One look around the courtyard and it's evident: the future of the continent will be carved out by the followers of Dr. Nkrumah's vision and his true believers, like Tanal Ghandour, founder and managing director of Ghandour Cosmetics. In the late 20th century, Ghandour began secretly developing a luxury scent representing the continent of Africa. In hushed tones, the shy yet affable businessman shared (against the advice of his business partners) that it was his ultimate dream to give his company a foothold in the world’s premium perfume market through the release of an unprecedented African-borne fragrance.
"My business partners, who are my brothers and cousins from Lebanon, fought me on the idea for 20 years," says Tanal Ghandour. " 'It's too soon. It won’t work. The time is not right. Let’s focus on the core business of mass market. The world is not ready for a luxury perfume product from Africa.' They were right, but that was 20 years ago."
Fast forward four shelf companies, several arguments, 25 product designs, 10,000 man hours of research and development, and millions of dollars later: voila, The Scent of Africa is born.
posted
Bumping this, because the following thought occurred to me...
Shea butter is naturally yellow-white in color, right? Now, assuming ashy skin was a big deal for ancient Egyptians...maybe that's what the "pale yellow" color of female subjects in AE art is supposed to symbolize? Though I dunno if women in AE culture used the butter more than men.
quote:Originally posted by Tyrannohotep: Bumping this, because the following thought occurred to me...
Shea butter is naturally yellow-white in color, right? Now, assuming ashy skin was a big deal for ancient Egyptians...maybe that's what the "pale yellow" color of female subjects in AE art is supposed to symbolize? Though I dunno if women in AE culture used the butter more than men.
Still, just a thought...
Could be. Who knows?
Posts: 1891 | From: NY | Registered: Sep 2014
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quote:Originally posted by Tyrannohotep: Bumping this, because the following thought occurred to me...
Shea butter is naturally yellow-white in color, right? Now, assuming ashy skin was a big deal for ancient Egyptians...maybe that's what the "pale yellow" color of female subjects in AE art is supposed to symbolize? Though I dunno if women in AE culture used the butter more than men.
Still, just a thought...
No. Actually it's more likely that the yellow coloring of AE women was manifested in real life by the use of yellow ochre which by the way is still used today by women in Saharan groups like the Tuareg, Teda, and Nubians, and by huruud (African turmeric) by women in the horn like Oromo, Sidamo, and Somalis.
-------------------- Mahirap gisingin ang nagtutulog-tulugan. Posts: 26239 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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quote:Originally posted by BlessedbyHorus: I been hearing that the famous Shea Butter that is popular in not just Sub Sahara Africa, but also the African American community.
Has also been used by the Ancient Egyptians for similar cosmetic reason(skin/hair moisturizer). Shea Butter: The Nourishing Properties of Africa's Best-Kept Natural Beauty
The Shea Tree where the butter comes from is mostly found more "southerly" in Africa, which means the Ancient Egyptians imported them.
Me being a fan of Shea Butter find it interesting that this practice of using Shea Butter has been going back as far as the Ancient Egyptians, yet it is still popular today. And also it shows that when it comes to cosmetics the Ancient Egyptian "way" was almost similar to other Africans, even today. Again just interesting to me.
Interesting find by the way, Askia.
This shouldn't come as a surprise considering the vitellaria/shea tree's habitat range.
No doubt shea pits were one of the many items imported from Nubia or through the Darb El Arba'īn trade post in Kharga Oasis.
Posts: 26239 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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They above sources agree that the earliest evidence of vitellaria date back to the Old Kingdom period specifically the 6th Dynasty when Harkhuf became the trade official of the Kingdoms of Yam and Punt. The evidence comes in the form of wood, charcoal, and traces of shea butter all used as commodity goods. The two sources identify shea in Mdu Ntr texts as 'hknw' which was said to be one of the "seven sacred oils" of trees from the southern lands.
Posts: 26239 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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"Archaeological evidence and traveller descriptions during the last millennium reveal that this management system, and shea butter trade, was well established before Islam arrived in West Africa. Trade in this commodity may well be confirmed as even older, if ancient Egyptian artifacts made of shea wood and hieroglyphics showing trade in vegetable oil with the “Land of Punt” (potentially Northern Uganda), are proven authentic." ~Peter N. Lovett, The Shea Butter Industry Expanding in West Africa,April 2005, (Silver Spring, Md.) 16(5):273-275.
Origins
"Shea Butter has been extracted from the nut of the Shea tree in West Africa and used as cosmetic and therapeutic skin care lotion for thousands of years. It’s origins go as far back as Cleopatra’s Egypt, where it was carried in large clay jars for cosmetic use. Not long after, the healing properties of Shea Butter were discovered and optimized for use throughout the West African wooded savannah.
Global trade of shea butter dates not only back to Cleopatra's Egypt, but was a very popular item of trade in the Middle Ages throughout West Africa and into the coastal regions. It was also traded heavily as an oil in European markets. As trade of Shea Butter spread throughout different regions of Africa in particular, it’s various uses began to diversify into things like soap and nasal decongestant. Shea Butter remains a popular substitute for cocoa butter in chocolate, though it still functions primarily as a skin care product as it has since the days of Cleopatra." https://sheabutter.com/pages/shea-butter-history
"Production of butter from shea trees in West Africa pushed back 1,000 years University of Oregon anthropologists explore layers of households built atop of each other for 1,600 years and find shea nuts have been used since A.D. 100" [..] "Evidence for earlier use of the wild trees dating to A.D. 100 — reported in the March issue of the Journal of Ethnobiology — surfaced from excavations at the well-preserved archaeological site at Kirikongo in western Burkina Faso. Shea trees only grow in a narrow belt of fertile, well-drained soils in the savannah stretching from West Africa to East Africa." ~Eugene, Ore, J. of Ethnobiology, 36(1):150-171 (2016) https://anthropology.uoregon.edu/2016/03/23/use-of-shea-butter-pushed-back-1000-years/
quote:Originally posted by Djehuti: No. Actually it's more likely that the yellow coloring of AE women was manifested in real life by the use of yellow ochre which by the way is still used today by women in Saharan groups like the Tuareg, Teda, and Nubians, and by huruud (African turmeric) by women in the horn like Oromo, Sidamo, and Somalis.
Where can I find more information about this practice? I haven't found too much about it online, though I agree it is a plausible explanation for the convention.
I have found this picture, though I don't know the cultural context:
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