Art & Craft

Dancing Wood & Living History: The Makonde Carvers’ Family Trees

When you see a Makonde “Tree of Life” carving—towering wooden pillars carved with dozens of people—you’re looking at more than art. You’re witnessing a living story: of family, unity, culture and history. These sculptures, born among the Makonde people of southeast Tanzania and northern Mozambique, are a beautiful symbol of how tradition and community shape identity.

Let me take you into the world of Makonde carvers, the meaning behind their famous Ujamaa carvings, and where you can meet these masters near Dar es Salaam today.

 

1. Who Are the Makonde?

The Makonde (or Wamakonde) are a Bantu-speaking, matrilineal people who live mostly in southeast Tanzania and northern Mozambique. Traditionally, descent and inheritance are passed through the mother’s line, and carving skills are taught by older men to younger apprentices. Makonde woodcarving is one of Tanzania’s richest artistic heritages—recognized worldwide for its craftsmanship and spiritual significance.

 

2. Makonde Carving: Mpingo Trees and Tools

Makonde carvings are made from the mpingo tree, also known as African blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon)—a dense, dark hardwood native to the region. Carvers use axe, chisel, mallet and knife—no prior sketches or models—carving directly into a single block of wood with confidence and imagination.

Young apprentices usually learn by sitting under mango trees in carving villages near Dar es Salaam or in Mtwara region, watching and practicing share work with elders in the shade of open shelters.

 

3. What Is Ujamaa?

In Makonde carving, Ujamaa refers to a sculptural style also called the “Tree of Life.” It shows a column of interlocking human figures climbing upward—elders at the base, mothers and children above, all carved from one trunk.

Here are key themes:

• Unity and cooperation: Ujamaa, in Swahili, means family, togetherness, support.
• Matrilineal society: The carvings often feature a central mother figure, symbolizing the cultural role of women in Makonde lineage.
• A national symbol: In the 1960s–70s, Tanzania’s first president, Julius Nyerere, used the Ujamaa idea as a concept for national unity and socialist policy. He promoted Makonde Ujamaa carvings as a visual metaphor for nation-building.

Making a single Ujamaa sculpture may take a year or more, reflecting generations supporting each other in wood form

 

4. Other Makonde Styles: Binadamu & Shetani

Beyond Ujamaa, two other carving styles are central:

• Binadamu (“humans”): naturalistic scenes of everyday life—women carrying water, men smoking pipes, children playing—offering a look into Makonde daily routines.
• Shetani (“spirits”): abstract, imaginative carvings inspired by folklore—distorted figures, animal-human hybrids. Some represent ancestral spirits or mythic creatures. The modern shetani style emerged in the 1950s under master carver Samaki Likankoa.

 

5. Why Ujamaa Matters

These carvings are not just beautiful—they express memory, survival, and identity:

• They keep alive matrilineal history and the importance of women in Makonde society
• They recall rituals, myths and ancestors that defined Makonde culture for centuries.
• They celebrate support systems: each figure depends on the other, visually illustrating family interdependence.
• They served as symbols of unity during Tanzania’s independence—linking art with politics and nationhood

 

6. Where to Meet Makonde Masters Today

If you’re in Dar es Salaam:

• Mwenge Art & Craft Market is an artisan hub where dozens of Makonde carvers sit and work. You can watch and ask questions, and buy directly from sculptors.
• Some carving cooperatives near Mtwara and the coastal belt sell and train young carvers. Ask guides or local stores to recommend cooperatives open for visitors.

In villages outside town, carvers often gather under mango trees or open shelters beside roads—look for signs of carving workshops and MPingo logs stacked neatly nearby.

 

7. A Story from the Carving Village

I once visited a workshop near Dar es Salaam. Under a wide mango tree, three men chiselled a 1.5 m Ujamaa carving. One explained, “Look—these figures climbing together are our family, our community.” He pointed to the mother at the top, surrounded by children. There was pride in his voice.

Nearby, a younger apprentice showed me a half-finished Binadamu carving of a woman holding a calabash, the carved scarification on her face reflecting Makonde tradition. He said each scar symbolises clan identity and story passed from elders.

At sunset, I bought a small shetani head carving. Its distorted face was unsettling at first—but the carver explained it represents both mischief and ancestral protection. It’s “spirits embodied,” he said—not evil, but part of a spiritual world. I felt honoured to carry a piece of their worldview home.

 

8. Ujamaa Then & Now: Tradition Meets Modern Demand

• Colonial trade pushed Makonde art into international markets in the 20th century. Portuguese collectors bought ritual carvings, and Makonde communities formed cooperatives to meet demand, generating income and artistic innovation.
• Nyumba ya Sanaa (House of Art), founded in Dar in the 1960s with Nyerere’s support, helped train new carvers and sell their work—boosting recognition of Ujamaa carvings as national symbols
• Today, tourists seek Makonde carvings as souvenirs, art collectors look for signed pieces, and galleries display works by living masters such as Roberto Yacobo Sangwani and later artists

While demand has grown, conservation of mpingo trees is vital—harvesting is regulated, and carvers sometimes incorporate lighter sapwood into work to preserve resources 

 

9. Why Ujamaa Still Speaks to Us

• The symbol of Unity is timeless: families, communities, and nations need the same mutual support shown in a wooden pillar.
• The matrilineal focus reminds us of women’s roles in lineage, art, and culture.
• The carvings all come from a single piece of wood—a simple metaphor for how many people can be connected by shared roots.
• Though they were traditional, these carvings also helped shape modern Tanzania under leaders like Nyerere—blurring lines between art, culture, and politics.

 

10. How to Appreciate & Preserve Makonde Art

If you admire these carvings:

• Buy direct, not mass-imported—visit carvers at Mwenge or workshops.
• Ask about mpingo sources—sustainably harvested wood supports conservation.
• Learn the styles: Ujamaa (unity), Binadamu (daily life), Shetani (spirits).
• Support apprentices and local cooperatives that train young carvers.
• Respect cultural context—these carvings carry stories and beliefs, not just decoration.

 

Makonde Ujamaa carvings are more than wood—they are living history. They capture how one piece of timber transforms into symbols of culture, ancestry, matrilineal identity, and communal strength.

If you want to feel Tanzanian art in your hands and your heart—find a Makonde carving master in Dar, visit a carving village, and hear the stories behind the dance-like figures climbing upward. That’s where you find family trees carved in mpingo, and discover how Tanzania—through wood—lives forever.