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1937.34.33

Waist ornament made of brass beads, strung on sisal. [JC 20 9 2002]

1937.34.33

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Collection type
Object
Description
Waist ornament made of brass beads, strung on sisal. [JC 20 9 2002]
Geographical reference
Kenya
Africa > Eastern Africa > Kenya
Kavirondo Nyanza Kisumu
Cultural groups
Luo
Date / Period
Date made: Before 1936
Date collected
1936
Acquisition information
Donated: 1937
Materials and processes
Material Brass Metal, Material Iron Metal, Material Bead, Material Sisal Fibre Plant, Process Strung
Dimensions
Length: max 450 mm doubled
Object numbers
Accession number: 1937.34.33
Research and responses

Examined by Gilbert Oteyo and Jeremy Coote in September 2002 as part of the British Academy funded project 'Luo Histories and Material Culture at the Pitt Rivers Museum': Waist ornament made of brass beads (and a few iron beads at the tied end), (ataka, 'metal waist ornament' in Luo). Strung on sisal. Such metal ornaments could only be owned by wealthy individuals. They were made, probably by Luo craftspeople, in small workshops attached to traders' shops in Kisumu. [JC 20 9 2002]

Search terms: Ornament, Status, Bead, Waist Ornament

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