Rhoda was taught this design by her brother Nathan Gama, Chief of Ematé clan men. Nathan clearly remembers the design as he would sit and watch their mother painting her...
Rhoda was taught this design by her brother Nathan Gama, Chief of Ematé clan men. Nathan clearly remembers the design as he would sit and watch their mother painting her nioge (barkcloth). The conjoined circles represent bubbles. When Ömie people want to catch the small freshwater fish from the river they collect a poisonous root and pound it with rocks into the water. This water becomes milky and bubbly from the poison released from the roots and the fish become asphyxiated, making for easy pickings. The lines that run through the work are known as orriseegé or ‘pathways’ and provide a compositional framework for the design.