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1979.20.145

Unfinished upper arm ornament, with plaited hide arm band and tassel made from a cow's tail, worn by men [RTS 13/4/2004].

1979.20.145

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Collection type
Object
Description
Unfinished upper arm ornament, with plaited hide arm band and tassel made from a cow's tail, worn by men [RTS 13/4/2004].
Long description
Upper arm ornament consisting of a long tassel made from the tail of a cow, with pale golden coloured hairs (Pantone 466C) mixed with the occasional black hair, and still attached to a strip of hide which has been rolled into a cylinder to form a tassel. It is not clear if this tail has been attached to the body of the ornament or whether it continues as one piece, with the hide cut into six narrow strips. These strips still have some hair attached, and have been tightly plaited to form a short length of hide with square section, a light yellowish brown in colour (Pantone 465C). The object has been left unfinished, with the upper ends of these hide strips deliberately left unplaited in order to show the method of manufacture. This part would otherwise have been shaped into an arm band. The object is complete and in good condition. The object is around 600 mm long, with the plaited section having a length of 100 mm and the tail section a length of 300 mm. The plaited section measures 7.5 by 6 mm, and each strip that goes to make up the plaiting has a width of 3 mm and a thickness of 1 mm [RTS 13/4/2004].
Geographical reference
South Sudan
Africa > Eastern Africa > South Sudan
Eastern Equatoria Lomachada
Cultural groups
Northern Laarim
Person
Field collector Patti Langton
PRM source Patti Langton
Date / Period
Date made: Before 1979
Date collected
21 March 1979
Acquisition information
Purchased: 1979
Materials and processes
Material Animal Tail, Material Cattle Skin Animal, Material Animal Hide Skin, Process Plaited
Dimensions
Length 600 mm, Width 7.5 mm plaited band
Object numbers
Accession number: 1979.20.145 Other numbers: Langton Collection PL 13
Research and responses

This ornament is known as nyerita, or occasionally by its Toposa name of nyatopes, and is worn by men for dancing and during marriage ceremonies. For a finished example, see 1979.20.144. This ornament also comes in a larger version, which is known as nyalodor [RTS 8/9/2005].

Search terms: Ornament, Dance, Status, Ritual and Ceremonial, Marriage, Technique, Arm Ornament, Ceremonial Object