Tribes

TribesFlorian Jenkins, The Life of Malcolm X, June 15–October 15, 1972, acrylic on cotton canvas and linen canvas. Commissioned by the Afro-American Society, Dartmouth College; P.972.231.

Tribes

Florian Jenkins, The Life of Malcolm X, June 15–October 15, 1972, acrylic on cotton canvas and linen canvas. Commissioned by the Afro-American Society, Dartmouth College; P.972.231.

 

Who is who in the mural?

Some of the faces in this mural were modeled after students who were on campus during the summer of 1972.[i]  Similarly there are masks present in the mural which Jenkins painted in the location of the tribes they belong to.[ii]

 

Panel in Context

This panel is located to the right of The Leader on the other side of the doorway.  It is on the left side of the narrow hallway when facing the Shabazz Library.

This panel is located to the right of The Leader on the other side of the doorway.  It is on the left side of the narrow hallway when facing the Shabazz Library.

 

Questions to consider:

  1. Though not physically connected, the main figure in The Leader seems to be pointing at Tribes. What is the significance of this connection? In what way is the past connected to visions of the future?

  2. What is gained and what is lost in the meaning of this panel by including portraits of real individuals from Dartmouth’s campus?

 
 
 

[i] Nelson Armstrong (Class of 1971), telephone interview by author, February 24, 2018.

[ii] Florian Jenkins, “The Temple Murals,” 1972; reprinted in Life of Malcolm X by Florian Jenkins, Stefan Bradley and Crishuana Williams (Hanover, NH: Hood Museum of Art, 2014).