1997.1.1

Collection type

Object

Description

Hide belt decorated with small beads and short copper chains [El.B 'DCF 2004-2006 What's Upstairs?' 12/7/2005]

Long description

Hide belt decorated with small seed beads (mainly blue and white but also reddish brown and green in small areas) and groups of short copper chains. On the front of the belt the hide is completely covered by the beads. The belt is fastened by a strip of hide at one end and a hole in the hide at the other. [El.B 'DCF 2004-2006 What's Upstairs?' 12/7/2005] Worn by men only, and only a few special warriors at that, keen young warriors in training camps, they are loved, cool men, eager to volunteer. These belts are regarded as a special part of dressing, an additional special accessory, not just part of the normal attire. The chains would be bought as one long chain and cut by the belt maker, the chain is not made. [ThW [Living Cultures Project] 17/3/2021]

Geographical reference

Sudan, Republic of

Africa > Northern Africa > Sudan, Republic of

Kenya

Africa > Eastern Africa > Kenya

Cultural groups

Maasai

Person

Field collector Unknown Collector

PRM source Charles J.V. Jones

Date / Period

Date made: Before 1900

Date collected

Circa 1920s

Acquisition information

Donated: 17/01/1997

Materials and processes

Material Bead, Material Copper Metal, Material Animal Hide Skin, Process Beadwork, Process Perforated

Dimensions

Length: max 950 mm

Object numbers

Accession number: 1997.1.1

Research and responses

'Belt or waist ornament which is definitely Maasai. Worn by men only, and only a few special warriors at that, keen young warriors in training camps, they are loved, cool men, eager to volunteer. These belts are regarded as a special part of dressing, an additional special accessory, not just part of the normal attire. The chains would be bought as one long chain and cut by the belt maker, the chain is not made.' The information used to describe this object has been reviewed through a process of consultation with Maasai representatives and community elders as part of The Maasai Living Cultures Project. Living Cultures started in 2017 and is a partnership between Maasai representatives from Tanzania and Kenya, the Pitt Rivers Museum and InsightShare, an Oxford-based NGO. The project is working to represent the history and narratives behind artefacts held in museum collections. Over the course of three years (2017, 2018, 2020) Maasai delegates have visited the museum to discuss how their culture is represented and how the Museum speaks about Maasai communities in its displays, databases, and education programmes. [ThW [Living Cultures Project] 17/3/2021]

Search terms: Clothing, Ornament, Status, Belt, Chain, Waist Ornament