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1948.2.159.5

Rectangular mat made of chequerwoven strips of yellow palm fibre with fringed inner edges [RTS 8/8/2005].

1948.2.159.5

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Collection type
Object
Description
Rectangular mat made of chequerwoven strips of yellow palm fibre with fringed inner edges [RTS 8/8/2005].
Long description
Rectangular mat made from narrow palm fibre strips, woven together at right angles to one another in a chequeweave pattern, with each strip running over 4 cross strips before passing back into the weave (over 4, under 1). The strips are predominantly yellow (Pantone 7508C), but some of the strips running along the length of the mat vary in colour from orangey brown (Pantone 729C) to greenish gray (Pantone 7535C) and darker brownish gray (Pantone 7531C). This gives the exterior a banded appearance that, while faint, may be deliberate; it is not clear if the strips have been deliberately dyed or just chosen for variable colour. On the inside face of the mat, the loose ends of each of strip has been folded over back against the surface at an oblique angle, creating an inward 'fringe' around all four edges. These edges have also been finished with a border made from 2 parallel strips, folded over at each corner to form an interlocked double 'loop'. These have been stitched together using narrower fibre strips, with 2 sets of vertical stitches across the frame edge and a row of horizontal stitching running down the centre between the two edging strips. The inner row of stitches also catches the upper edge of the 'fringe' strips, keeping this edging securely in place. The mat is complete. It has a weight of 506.5 grams, and is 1450 mm long, 620 mm wide and 4.8 mm thick at the edges; the constituent fibre strips are 4 mm wide, while the stitching is made of strips with a width of 2 mm [RTS 8/8/2005].
Geographical reference
South Sudan
Africa > Eastern Africa > South Sudan
Cultural groups
Zande
Date / Period
Date made: Before 1930
Date collected
1927 - 1930
Acquisition information
Found unentered: 1948
Materials and processes
Material Palm Fibre Plant, Process Chequer Woven, Process Basketry, Process Stitched, Process Dyed
Dimensions
Width 620 mm, Thick 4.8 mm, Length 1450 mm, Weight 506.5 g
Object numbers
Accession number: 1948.2.159.5
Research and responses

For similar mats, see 1948.2.159.1-3, 6, 9-14, and for decorated versions, 1948.2.159.4 and 7 (with geometric designs at the centre) and 1948.2.159.8, with a dark brown border, said to be used in circumcision rites. The photographic collections at the museum hold a number of images of these types of mats being used during these ceremonies: see for example, 1998.341.166 and 1998.341.338 (initiate with roll of matting over head), 1998.341.169, 1998.341.387 and 1998.341.567 (initiates wearing and sitting on mats). The technique used for making this mat is also reminiscent of Zande basketry hats such as 1930.86.32 and 1948.2.162-164, where similar fibre strips are woven together, and a fringe is left at the base.

Evans-Pritchard states that 'of mats, the type called karakpa is said to be both Mbomu and Miangba, while those called nakorogbo and bagburu came from the Abile people to the south of the Bomokandi, a branch of the Azande containing a high proportion of foreign elements (E.E. Evans-Pritchard, 1971, The Azande, p. 101). It is not clear which of these types of mats is represented by this example.

According to Larken, this type of grass weaving is done by men: "Split stems of certain grasses are scraped free from pith, forming thin strips as wide as a pencil, with a hard, polished surface, and edges that are absolutely parallel. Of this material is made a sleeping mat, ira, two and a half feet broad by twice as long, strips being passed laterally, alternatively over and under others lying longitudinally; the fracture of the strips being so regular, it is a simple matter to ensure an exact fit of each against the other, so that there are no unsightly interstices, and a perfect finish is obtained" (P.M. Larken, 1927, "Impressions of the Azande", Sudan Notes and Records X, p. 133) [RTS 25/8/2005].

Search terms: Furniture Dwelling, Basketry, Mat

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