Here’s the 3rd and final costume design (for this particular character), which is based on the
Here’s the 3rd and final costume design (for this particular character), which is based on the Olmec civilization (more accurately, ‘Xi People’). Evidence of an ancient Afrikan presence in the early Americas (pre-Columbus) is incredibly overwhelming. Evidence in the form of artifacts are & have been found all over the continent. One such artifact in the case of the Xi Civilization are the ‘Olmec Heads’ discovered in Mexico. Although the first discovery in the modern world of these colossal stone heads was in circa mid 1800’s, the major* excavation & discovery happened in 1938 by the American archeologist Matthew. W. Stirling. Very little is known (or has been revealed) about the mysterious Xi Civilization, but it is said & mostly agreed upon amongst archeologists & historians that based on the clear physical appearance & strong cultural similarities within the many basalt heads/ artifacts excavated, that they were a people who’s origins were West Afrikan; but more generally, a ‘Black’ race. “ I reflected that there had undoubtedly been Negroes in this country, and that this had been in the first epoch of the world.” -J. M. Meglar- The heads are also described by author, David Hatcher Childress, in an interview as looking like “Nigerian rugby players”. Going back to my design for this Xi warrior, fashion-wise there was virtually nothing I could dig up on them other than the helmet & ear piercings, but since many West Afrikan cultures share similar attributes, I decided to take influence from the ones I knew best, Nigeria & Ghana. I also took some influence from Aztec art, which I applied as the pattern on his Waist Wrapper (skirt). However, it is important to state that the Xi Civilzsation far predate the Aztec/ Mayan cultures; & in fact actually gave birth to them. A very deliberate ‘miseducation’ which I believe is now known to have been a lie was that Christopher Columbus was the first to “discover” the Americas… One thing for sure is that ‘They Came Before Columbus’. -M- -- source link
#xi people#olmecs#olmec heads#olmeca#character design#visual development#concept art#illustration#maxwell oginni#maximajination