1940.7.098

Collection type

Object

Description

Baby's neck ornament made from a hide strap bound with strings of small pink beads with a projecting tail edged with decorated metal rings [RTS 16/8/2004].

Long description

Neck ornament made from a narrow strap of brown animal hide. One end has been doubled over to form a loop, secured with some plant fibre binding. This loop was then slotted over the other end of the strip and pushed up the body, to create a circular ring that could be fitted around a baby's neck, leaving a long rectangular 'tab' that would stick up the back. The end of this tab has been cut to a point, and the body pierced with 13 pairs of holes, running down each side, with an additional hole near the point. These have been fitted with a series of metal rings, each made from a metal rod bent into a loop with open ends, and then punched with a series of semicircular depressions around both sides. The first 7 pairs of rings are made from a lightweight white metal, probably aluminium or tin. 2 of the rings in this group are slightly thinner than the rest, and have been decorated using a smaller tool with a wedge-shaped end. The next 6 pairs and end ring are made from brass, with an additional ring looped between the end and 1 of the side rings. The decoration on these varies in depth; some appear to be worn, while 2 of these brass rings are thinner and undecorated. The necklet was probably fitted first, and the metal rings attached afterwards. They would then act as a stop, preventing the necklet from coming undone and sliding off. Beyond this tail, the hide strap has been compressed, bringing the two sides together to form a thicker body that has then been bound around with string. After the first 10 mm, this string has been threaded with numerous small opaque ring shaped beads. These are predominantly pink (Pantone 692C), although the tone varies (Pantone 7436C), with some white beads of similar shape mixed in. The inside face of the necklet has been left largely unbeaded. The surface of the string and strap appears to be coated with thick red ochre (Pantone 483C). The necklet is complete, and apart from some cracks across the surface of the hide, in good condition. It has a weight of 98.1 grams, with a total length of 285 mm and a width across the loop of 93 mm. The strap tail is 20 mm wide and 3 mm thick; the neck loop has a diameter of 12 mm. The rings vary slightly in size, but a typical example has a diameter of 23.5 mm and is 3 mm wide and 1.8 mm thick, while the beads have diameters of 2 mm and are 1 mm thick [RTS 16/8/2004].

Geographical reference

South Sudan

Africa > Eastern Africa > South Sudan

Northern Bahr el Ghazal Western Bahr el Ghazal Warab Lakes Western Equatoria Idi

Cultural groups

Arohuyas

Moru

Person

Field collector Samuel Peach Powell

PRM source Samuel Peach Powell

Date / Period

Date made: Before 1940

Date collected

By 1940

Acquisition information

Loaned: 1940

Materials and processes

Material Animal Hide Skin, Material Brass Metal, Material Glass, Material Ochre, Material Aluminium Metal, Material Tin Metal, Material Plant Fibre, Process Hammered, Process Bent, Process Perforated, Process Strung, Process Beadwork, Process Incised, Process Decorated

Dimensions

Length 285 mm, Width 93 mm across neck loop, Weight 98.1 g

Object numbers

Accession number: 1940.7.098

Research and responses

It has not yet been possible to identify the group, Arohuyas, or the place (Idi or Edi) associated with this object. Because of the date of collection, it seems likely that 'Bahr el Ghazal' refers to the province rather than to the river. At the time this object was collected, the Bahr el Ghazal province was much larger than it is today, extending from roughly the Bahr el Arab all the way to the border with the Belgian Congo; this area is now divided into the districts of Western Bahr el Ghazal, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, and parts of Warab, El Buheyrat and Western Equatoria.

A Moru child is shown wearing a similar neck ornament, with beaded collar and a long strap hung with iron rings hanging down the front in H.A. Bernatzik, 1929, Zwischen Weissem Nil und Belgisch-Kongo, figure 109. This object also has some similarities to 1940.7.015, a Bari thigh ornament that has a leather strap decorated with a closely packed row of iron rings [RTS 15/8/2005].

Search terms: Ornament, Children and Childcare, Trade, Neck Ornament