1884.82.179

Collection type

Object

Description

Arm ornament of plaited grass. [El.B 'DCF 2004-2006 What's Upstairs?' 29/7/2005]

Geographical reference

South Africa

Africa > Southern Africa > South Africa

Unknown

Cultural groups

Nguni

Person

Maker Unknown Maker

Field collector Unknown Collector

PRM source Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers founding collection

Date / Period

Date made: Possibly before 1878

Date collected

?Prior to 1878

Acquisition information

Donated: 1884

Materials and processes

Material Grass Fibre Plant, Process Plaited, Process Basketry

Dimensions

Length: max 108 mm

Object numbers

Accession number: 1884.82.179 PR Cat other PR nos: 3372 PR Cat other PR nos: 3343

Research and responses

JG Wood 1870 Natural History of Man: Africa p39: 'There is ... one class of ornaments that must be briefly mentioned: namely, the rings of different material which the Kaffirs place on their wrists, arms and ankles. These are sometimes made of ivory, often of metal, sometimes of hide, sometimes of beads, and sometimes of grass. This last mentioned bracelet is perhaps the simplest of the all, as may be seen from the accompanying illustration, which is taken from a specimen in my collection. It is made of the yellow stems of some species of grass, plaited together with singular ingenuity, so as to form a bold and regular pattern, the lines of grass stems sweeping regularly side by side along the centre, crossing and recrossing each other in their course, and forming a narrow plaited pattern along each edge. More than fifty stems are used in making this simple ornament, so that the skill of the manipulator is strongly tested'. [AP Leverhulme project on founding collection 1995-1998]

Search terms: Ornament, Basketry, Arm Ornament