dark mother list of illustrations

Illustrations in dark mother. african origins and godmothers are not meant to convey a pictorial history of the dark mother, but to give a sampling of her many images, focusing on those less well-known and those that suggest she is everywhere. For more images, see books of Marija Gimbutas, as well as my Liberazione della donna and the U. S. and the italian editions of Black Madonnas.

Tricia Grame's painting on the front cover superbly catches the meaning of this study, an african woman with first signs of the dark mother, ochre red and the pubic V, along with figures of godmothers, or comari, who carried her memory into the historic epoch.

Elaine Sotos painting of the black madonna of Spanish Harlem, the frontispiece, as well as Elaines other images throughout the book, point to the dark mothers message of liberation. Lydia Ruyles banners illustrate that the dark mother may be found in all parts of the earth. The end illustration, Eleanor Dickinsons pregnant dark mother, is a complex metaphor: the mother holding the earth in orbit and the worlds long wait for deliverance.

Rose Wognum Frances painting on the back cover, the dark mother of Catal Hoyuk giving birth, and girl unfolding hands with henna, carries theological, and personal, meaning. In June 1998, Rose and I, and many other scholars and artists of womens spirituality, participated in an international symposium at Catal Hoyuk. Afterward, we walked into town to witness the womens shelter that had been burned down. As we grieved among the ruins, a little girl came to the door and slowly unfolded henna palms. Rose and I gasped, both of us struck by the regeneration of the dark mother in the figure of the child.

L. Luca Cavalli-Sforza gave me permission to reproduce his map of human migrations from Africa, the books underpinning in genetics data of african origins of modern humans, and of world civilization. The 5300 BCE cliff incision of a dancer in the central arabian peninsula (reproduced as a sculpture by an artist and photographed by Wallace Birnbaum), is indebted to the image in Emmanuel Anatis archive of prehistory at Capo di Ponte, Brescia Italy. Monica Sjoos painting of a black madonna (with african signs)of Malta, illustrates Sjoos early intuition that everyones ancestors are african.

Sharon Anthony gave me her stunning photograph of Magdalen, Pat Bennett her photo of the street sign of a cooperative art workshop of contemporary comari that we found in Siracuse, Sicily, and Max Dashu her paintings of a hebrew priestess, a witch, and a grandmother. Louise Pare sent photographs of black madonnas in Moscow, Elsa Polansky the postmodern black madonna of Prague, and Stefanie Romeo her sculpture pointing to a dark mother beyond gender. Wallace Birnbaums and Jodi MacMillan DeMartiles images bring different perspectives to the story. I thank the Museo Archeologico Regionale "Paolo Orsi" for the image of the dark mother of Megara Hyblaea in Sicily. Molte grazie to Doug Latta whose glass sculpture of a pubic V with wheat carries the central theme, the dark mother as creator of all life, throughout the book.

Errata:
In early editions of dark mother the correct attribution for figure 24 is Kali Sara. Saintes Maries de la Mer. France.  Mary B. Kelley

frontispiece

La Virgen del Barrio. Spanish Harlem, New York City. Painting, Elaine Soto

prologue

1. Map of human migrations, in Africa after l00,000 BCE and after 60,000 BCE to every continent of the earth may be found in The Great Human Diasporas. The History of Diversity and Evolution by L. Luca and Francesco Cavalli-Sforza. Translated by Sarah Thorne. Reading, Ma. et al. , Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc., 1995.

part one: african origins, african migrations, case of Sicily.

Pubic V and wheat. Design, Doug Latta

chapter one

2. Venus of Laussel. France. 25,000 BCE. Banner, Lydia Ruyle

3. Venus of Willendorf. Austria. 25,000 BCE. Banner, Lydia Ruyle

4. Siberian dark mother. 20,000 BCE. Banner, Lydia Ruyle

5. Pubic figures, 10,000 BCE Cava del Genovese, Egadi Islands, Sicily. Photograph, Wallace Birnbaum

6. Isis and Horus. Photograph, Wallace Birnbaum

7. Ashanti dark mother. Photograph, Wallace Birnbaum

chapter two

8. Woman dancer of Central Arabia. 5300 BCE. Archives of Emmanuel Anati, Centro Camuno di Studi Preistorici, Italy. Photograph of sculpture thereof, Wallace Birnbaum.

9. Hebrew priestess, Qadeshah. Painting, Max Dashu

10. Black madonna of Malta with african spiritmarks. Painting, Monica Sjoo

chapter three

11. Dark mother of Megara Hyblaea, Sicily. 600 BCE. Photograph, Wallace Birnbaum

12. Canaanite youth "with attitude," Mozia, Sicily. Photograph, Jodi MacMillan DeMartile

13. Sicilian Demeter at Enna. Banner, Lydia Ruyle

14. Black madonna of Adonai, Sicily. Photograph, Jodi MacMillan De Martile

15. Ochre red image of the christian madonna, Priscilla Catacombs. Rome. Photograph, Wallace Birnbaum

16. San Benedetto il Moro, Palermo, outside sanctuary of santa Rosalia. Photograph, Jodi MacMillan DeMartile.

part two: black madonnas, case of santa Lucia, godmothers, and dark others

Pubic V and wheat design, Doug Latta.

chapter four

17. Black Diana of Ephesus. Photograph, Wallace Birnbaum

18. Aya Sophia. Istanbul. Banner, Lydia Ruyle.

19. La Montserrate. Spain. Painting, Elaine Soto.

20. Pilar-Toto. Spain. Painting, Elaine Soto.

21. Chartres. France. Banner, Lydia Ruyle.

22. Black madonna of Le Puy, France. Painting, Elaine Soto.

23. Black madonna of Altotting, Germany. Banner, Lydia Ruyle.

24. Kali Sara. Saintes Maries de la Mer. France. Painting, Mary B. Kelley.

25. Postmodern icon. House of Black Madonna of Prague. Czech Republic. Photograph, Elsa Polansky.

chapter five

26. Mary Magdalen. Photograph, Sharon Anthony.

27. Santa Lucia. Photo design, Wallace Birnbaum.

chapter six

28. Comari Laboratorio. Syracuse, Sicily. Photograph, Pat Bennett.

chapter seven

29. Bellezza Orsini. Italy. Max Dashu

30. Baba. Russia. Max Dashu

part three: comparative beliefsﾾ United States and Italy

Pubic V and wheat, Doug Latta.

chapter eight

31. Joe Cipollas stall. City Market, Kansas City, Missouri. Photograph, Lucia Chiavola Birnbaum.

32 Triad of wheat. Festival of Demetra/Cerere. Gangi, Sicily, August 15, 2000. Church holy day of the assumption of Mary into heaven. Photograph, Wallace Birnbaum

chapter nine

33. La Guadalupe. Mexico and the Americas. Painting, Elaine Soto

34. La Virgen del Pozo. Puerto Rico. Painting, Elaine Soto.

35. Black madonna. Erzuli. Haiti. Painting, Elaine Soto

36. Carito of Cuba. Painting, Elaine Soto

chapter ten

None

chapter eleven

None

part four: symbolic order of the mother.

pubic V and wheat, Doug Latta.

chapter twelve

37. Black madonnas on Red Square. Moscow. Photograph, Louise Par￩

38. Shango of Brazil. Painting, Elaine Soto

39 Contemporary asian dark woman divinity. Cloth painting purchased at Beijing womens conference, 1995. Photograph, Wallace Birnbaum

40. Sarasvati. India. Painting, Elaine Soto

41. African sculpture. Stephanie Romeo

42. Black madonna of the Andes. Banner, Lydia Ruyle

43. Dark mother. Painting, Eleanor Dickinson

Back Cover "Catal Huyuk, the Living Mystery: Girl Unfolding Henna Palms."Painting, Rose Wognum Frances.