1944.10.58

Collection type

Object

Description

Carved arrow with notched ebony point on a cane shaft with bound and nocked end [RTS 25/5/2005].

Long description

Arrow consisting of a dark brown ebony arrowhead (Pantone black 4C), with a double bevelled tip on a narrow body that tapers out slightly along its length before narrowing again at its base. The upper body below the tip has been decorated with a row of 4 obliquely cut notches down either side, with clear shaving marks down the rest of the surface. The base of the tang has been fitted into the socketed top of a yellow cane shaft with 6 segments along its length and a slightly oval section (Pantone 730C). The surface of the shaft is smooth, and it has been bound over the junction of arrowhead and shaft with a narrow strip of a brown animal hide to prevent the wood splitting on impact; This binding looks to be incomplete. There is a second area of grayish brown binding just above the nocked butt (Pantone Warm Gray 9C), which has 2 rectangular notches cut into opposite sides. The arrow is complete, except perhaps for the binding mentioned above; the shaft has split immediately below the top and parts of the shaft are stained with a reddish brown material. It has a weight of 32.4 grams and a total length of 1072 mm. The visible area of the arrowhead has a length of 185 mm and a diameter of 8 mm, while the wooden shaft is 887 mm long, with a diameter of 8.3 by 8.7 mm and a nock length of 12 mm; the binding is 10 mm long around the upper part, and 16 mm long around the lower end [RTS 25/5/2005].

Geographical reference

Sudan, Republic of

Africa > Northern Africa > Sudan, Republic of

Blue Nile Darfung

Cultural groups

Burun

Person

Field collector L. Gorringe

PRM source Mrs L. Gorringe

Date / Period

Date made: Before 1912

Date collected

1902 - 1912

Acquisition information

Donated: 1944

Materials and processes

Material Cane Plant, Material Ebony Wood Plant, Material Animal Hide Skin, Process Carved, Process Notched, Process Socketed, Process Bound, Process Decorated

Dimensions

Diameter: max 8 mm arrowhead, Diameter: max 8.7 mm shaft, Length: max 1072 mm, Length: max 887 mm shaft, Length: max 185 mm arrowhead, Weight 32.4 g

Object numbers

Accession number: 1944.10.58

Research and responses

Dar Fung seems to be the same as Darfung, in the Roseires Dam region of the Blue Nile administrative district (see http://www.calle.com/world/sudan/Da.html). The binding material appears to be animal hide, rather than membrane [RTS 26/5/2005].

Search terms: Archery Weapon, Hunting, Arrow, Arrow-head, Arrow Shaft, Weapon