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1966.1.1049

Iron pellet bell on two leather thongs

1966.1.1049

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Collection type
Object
Description
Iron pellet bell on two leather thongs
Long description
Bell attached to thongs with iron wire, wire missing on one side leather thong also broken at this point. [HLR]. Worn by small boys on their ankles when in Enkipaata ceremony (graduation from boy-hood to warrior, one bell per leg. Worn by Warriors during the lion hunting and Eunoto ceremony. Sometimes small ones can be worn by the young boys (toddlers) to encourage them to walk. [ThW [Living Cultures Project] 17/3/2021]
Geographical reference
Kenya
Africa > Eastern Africa > Kenya
Cultural groups
Maasai
Date / Period
Date made: Before 8/1911
Date collected
August 1911
Acquisition information
Purchased: 1966
Materials and processes
Material Iron Metal, Material Animal Leather Skin, Material Metal Wire, Process Wrought, Process Perforated
Dimensions
Width: max 25 mm
Object numbers
Accession number: 1966.1.1049
Research and responses

'Worn by small boys on their ankles when in Enkipaata ceremony (graduation from boy-hood to warrior, one bell per leg. Worn by Warriors during the lion hunting and Eunoto ceremony. Sometimes small ones can be worn by the young boys (toddlers) to encourage them to walk.' 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] 16/3/2021]

Search terms: Music, Children and Childcare, Status, Musical Instrument, Rattle, Bell, Leg Ornament

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