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Notes on video lecture:
Gule Wamkulu Masks of the Chewa People
Choose from these words to fill the blanks below:
men, control, relevant, Big, 1500, red, audience, Lagos, appropriate, Chaplin, chase, Tanzania, Malawi, Portuguese, heterogeneous, Nyau, satirizing, caravans, failed, funerals, slave, rural
Africa
extremely                            place
second largest and second most populous continent after Asia
54 different countries
1 billion people
         difference languages
sprawling massive cities
          , Nigeria
more than 5 million people
millions of people in small villages and towns
history of Africa and America
bound up in the transatlantic            trade
slavery not only provided a key part of the economic foundation of America, but it also means that many Americans are the descendents of these enslaved individuals
Chewa people of Malawi
mask of Elvis Presley made by a group of            farmers
use it it in a sacred ritual called the Gule Wamkulu ("       Dance")
we might think it represents a strange misunderstanding of Western culture
or that they are mimicking a global image in a simplistic and problematic way
dances of the Chewa are not just for entertainment
ways to learn what was and was not                        behavior in society
one way they did this was incorporate images and characters from outside             
allows the Chewa to gain a sense of                over their relationships with outsiders
through emboding, dancing, mimicking, and ridiculing
Elvis dancing among the Chewa was a way to demonstrate the correct way of living by                      a Western icon that lived excessively and who was controlled by vices which were best avoided
Chewa people
one of the largest groups in Malawi
land-locked country
between Zambia, Mozambique, and                 
in the United States the Chewa are best know for their masks
used in dance rituals by a secret society called the         
for Chewa       
involved in passing on their myths
Gule Wamkulu
danced at                 
communication time-honored values
addressing current issues
30 dances
meant to teach young people
the masked dancers are understood to be ancestors themselves
are able to be creative which keeps this dance                 
earliest know examples of incorporating masks of outsiders
masks of                      and Arab traders
both deeply involved in slave trading
would trade for slaves
marched                  of slaves through the heart of Chewa land
portrayed them with frightening, fierce,        faces
dance communicates that the Chewa should fear these groups
1915 killing of Chewa man by British colonial officials
he had staged an uprising against British colonial officials
his uprising             , officials pursued him and killed him
this            is reenacted in the dance
the mask chases women and children in the                 
1964 independence
continue to representing
Charlie               
Queen Elizabeth
1977 made the Elvis mask, the year he died

Ideas and Concepts:

Education through ridicule via tonight's America Through Foreign Eyes class: "This Elvis Presley mask was made by a group of rural farmers in Malawi, Africa called the Chewa people who use it in a sacred dance ritual called the Gule Wamkulu, or "Great Dance". We might think this mask of Elvis represents a strange misunderstanding of Western culture, perhaps an African tribe mimicking a global image in a simplistic and problematic way. However, the dances of the Chewa are not just for entertainment, but are used as ways to communicate what is and what is not appropriate behavior in their society. One way they do this is to incorporate images and characters from cultures outside Malawi. This allows the Chewa to gain a sense of control over their relationships with outsiders through embodying, dancing, mimicking, and ridiculing them. Elvis dancing among the Chewa is a method to demonstrate the correct way of living by satirizing a Western icon who lived excessively and who was controlled by vices which were best avoided."
Gule Wamkulu Masks of the Chewa People