One of a set of four leg bells, worn on the upper thigh, two per thigh, by young men during circumcision ceremonies. [MdeA 14/11/2007]

Collection type: Object
Description: One of a set of four leg bells, worn on the upper thigh, two per thigh, by young men during circumcision ceremonies. [MdeA 14/11/2007]
Long description: One of a set of four leg bells [2006.93.4 .1 - .4]. The bells are worn on the upper thigh by young men during circumcision ceremonies. Two bells are worn on each thigh. The bell is a pellet bell made of a circular piece of iron which has been folded over in half with the edges curved in to allow two iron pellets to be held inside. The iron pellets are roughly rounded. The bell has been perforated twice along the folded edge. The perforations are 28 mm appart. A strip of leather has been threaded through the perforations in the bell. The leather has then been threaded through a strip of cotton cord which has been wound into a ring shape to go around the thigh. The leather has then been tied to fix the bell to the cord. Strips of recycled cotton textile have been bound around the ring of cord. These are coming loose in places and are dirty with use. The cotton textile strips are predominantly white but there are areas of blue, red and black. [MdeA 14/11/2007]
Geographical reference: Uganda
Africa > Eastern Africa > Uganda; Mbale District
Cultural groups: Gisu; Bagisu
Person: Field collector Suzette Heald; PRM source Suzette Heald
Date / Period: Date made: Before 1967-1969
Date collected: 1967 - 1969
Acquisition information: Donated: 08/11/2006
Materials and processes: Material Iron Metal, Material Cotton Textile Plant, Material Animal Leather Skin, Process Recycled, Process Bound, Process Tied, Process Perforated
Dimensions: Height: max 50 mm, Width: max 150 mm, Length: max 240 mm
Object numbers: Accession number: 2006.93.4.2
Associated publications: See Heald, Suzette 1999. Manhood and Morality: Sex, Violence and Ritual in Gisu Society, London and New York: Routledge. [MdeA 13/11/2007] According to the donor the circumcision regalia in this collection was collected from one of the young men in the film Imbalu: Ritual of Manhood of the Gisu of Uganda, made by Suzette Heald and R. Hawkins in 1988. University of California, Los Angeles. Distributed by the Royal Anthropological Insititute. [MdeA 13/11/2007]

Search terms: Ritual and Ceremonial, Ornament, Music, Agriculture and Horticulture, Tool, Ceremonial Object, Leg Ornament, Bell, Rattle, Hoe