- Collection type
- Object
- Description
- Colobus monkey skin loin cloth, worn for ceremonies and dances [RTS 10/6/2004].
- Long description
- Garment made from colobus monkey skin and worn around the loins with the tail hanging down the back. This has been cut to retain the basic shape of the animal, with the neck, front and back legs and long tail preserved, the latter all the way to its tip. The inner surface has been scraped down, and is currently a light yellowish colour (Pantone 7508C). The outer surface is covered with thick, long monkey hair in the distinctive patterning of the colobus monkey, with black fur down the centre of the back and along the limbs and tail (Pantone Black 6C), and a mantle of white fur around the flanks and at the tail's brushy end (Pantone 7401C). This is generally well preserved, although 2 patches have been worn down along the lower sides. There is a v-shaped cut mark on one of the hind flaps, and a series of holes have been pushed through the hide all the way around its edges of the skin, the only area not treated in this way being the tail. Their outer edges have all been stretched, to create a series of small loops, that may have been threaded with cord and used to tie the garment in place, although no trace of this has survived. Alternatively, they may represent holes from pegging out the skin when preparing it. A couple of these loops have broken. 2 longer slits have also been cut into the end of one of the front leg flaps. There are also a few small, circular pin holes along the upper, neck edge, surrounded by what may be iron staining; these are likely to represent some former method of displaying or mounting the skin, rather than part of the original object. The skin is complete and in comparatively good condition, with flecks of green paint and an unidentified blue material on the inner surface. It has a weight of 239.5 grams, and is 1280 mm long (including the fur) and 552 mm wide across the front legs, 372 mm wide across the centre of the body and 750 mm wide across the back legs (skin only) [RTS 15/2/2005].
- Cultural groups
- Acholi
- Date / Period
- Date made: Before 1953
- Date collected
- By 1953
- Acquisition information
- Donated: 1953
- Materials and processes
- Material Monkey Skin Animal, Material Monkey Hair Animal, Material Animal Fur Skin, Material Animal Hide Skin, Process Perforated
- Dimensions
- Width 372 mm centre, Length 1280 mm including fur, Width 552 mm front legs, Width 750 mm back legs, Weight 239.5 g
- Object numbers
- Accession number: 1953.6.59
- Research and responses
Palabek is located in the Pader district of northern Uganda, north of Gulu and northwest of Kitgum. Gulu may therefore have been used in the accession book entry as a term to refer to the general district [RTS 10/6/2004]. ; jo = people of, pa may mean place of, so jo-pa-labek may mean the people of palabek, or people of the place Labek [JC 18/2/2005].
Compare with R. Boccassino, 1964, "Contributo allo studio dell’ ergologia delle popolazioni Nilotiche e Nilo-camitche. Parte quarta. Il vestito, il tatuaggio, le deformazioni del corpo, gli ornamenti e la circoncisione", Annali Lateranensi XXVIII, p. 147, fig 61. This is also said to be worn around the loins by Acholi men, is 113 cm long, and is currrently in Rome (96031). Compare also a similar skin, worn as a dance collar by the Southern Larim (1979.20.178, from Loryok) [RTS 10/6/2004].
Search terms: Clothing, Ritual and Ceremonial, Dance, Groin-cover, Apron