K.L.V.: Aardvarks and Armadillos

Though this post is very much delayed, thanks to locking myself out of my flat for two days(!!), I have decided to intertwine my research of animal symbolism into my blog and will post what I've found alphabetically to refer to in future projects.

Since the aardvark is such a wide spread creature, there is a degree of variation in the symbolism found for example the snout of an aardvark acted (perhaps still acts) as a phallic symbol in pre-colonial Africa, which according to ‘The Continuum encyclopedia of animal symbolism in art’ resulted in the creature having it removed by Tabwa (Congo) men in order to stop any embarrassment in front of the women. On an even more serious note, cutting Aardvark snouts and genitals is also intended to preserve and empower male superiority. However in Mali, the Bamana create masks and headdresses, named Chi Wara, intended for agricultural ceremonies and the aardvark as a symbol of agriculture and viewed as a ‘human animal’ for its digging behaviour is featured in the designs. By imitating animals such as aardvarks and pangolins, it is hoped that you will learn the secrets of the earth which in Bamana life is viewed as female. This ties in with the phallic snout of the aardvark as the act of cultivation is viewed as sexual by the Bamana and as their territory is in the dry central landscape of Mali, I would assume the aardvark is held in high regard. This animal reaches as far north as Egypt in traditional symbolism as the god Set is said by many to have the head and other qualities of an aardvark, acting as the god of deserts and darkness seems appropriate for this usually nocturnal creature.

Chi Wara general headdress (left), Chi Wara headdress with aardvark at the bottom (right)

Egyptian god 'Set'

From the continent of Africa to the Americas and the origin of the armadillo and much like the aardvark, the armadillo or Azotochtli (turtle-rabbit) is also synonymous with the earth and agriculture however this goes further with it also being associated with the afterlife. This is due to being a ground dwelling creature but also the nine bands of the nine banded (most populous) armadillos ’shell’ represent the levels of the underworld in Mesoamerica, evidence of this symbolism can be found in Mayan pottery. This link to the afterlife is furthered by the apparent grave digging service that was provided by armadillos in South American myth. For a creature that makes little noise, it was a surprise to learn it had such a connotation with music. In particular the Mayans depicted armadillos anthropomorphically as drummers, beating on jaguar skins and usually accompanied by other creatures. There is also the literal transformation of armadillos into musical instruments and as you can see by some of the images below there is a wide variety.

The modern depiction of the armadillo strays away from the musical and more towards the obvious aspect of its defence mechanism. From kitchenware to architecture, designers have mimicked the 'armor plating' of this creature.