Bari fringe apron

Bari fringe apron
Other views of this artifact:


Accession Number:
1940.7.010
Country:
Sudan
Region:
[Southern Sudan] Bahr el Jebel? Eastern Equatoria? Mogari
Cultural Group:
Bari
Date Made:
By 1940
Materials:
Animal Hide Skin , String , Oil Fat , Ochre , Pigment , Cotton Yarn Plant
Process:
Tooled , Stitched , Dyed , Repaired (local)?
Dimensions:
L = 740; hide ties W = 10, th = 4; fringe body W across top = 237, L = 160, th top = 7.3; diam string = 1 mm [RTS 8/3/2005].
Weight:
241.6 g
Local Name:
wande
Other Owners:
Samuel P. Powell
Field Collector:
Samuel P. Powell
PRM Source:
Samuel P. Powell
Acquired:
Loaned July 1940
Collected Date:
By 1940
Description:
Girl's apron consisting of 30 bundles with about 13 pieces of string per group, doubled over at the top and left with the ends hanging down to form a tassel. The upper part of each was wound round with string. These were then laid side by side, and sewn together just below the top, to form a thick string fringe with a more solid waist band along its upper part. Each piece has been thickly coated with reddish brown ochre (Pantone 7526C), and has a weighted bulbous tip at the base that helps it hang properly. The constituent material of the string is not clear because of this coating, but may be hide rather than plant fibre. 2 narrow rectangular strips of hide have been perforated at one end and sewn onto the sides of the waist band to serve as ties; their outer surfaces have been tooled to give them a textured appearance. One is attached with a thicker, softer length of 4 ply string that is probably made from cotton yarn, dyed a similar colour to the rest of the apron. The other tie has a forked end, and has been repaired with a different piece of cotton, 2 ply in this instance and only lightly stained red. The object is complete, but mended, with a split down the centre of the waist band. It has a weight of 241.6 grams, and is 740 mm long with the waist straps extended as far as can be done in their hardened state; these have a width of 10 mm and are 4 mm thick; the fringe body is 237 mm wide across the top, 160 mm long and 7.3 mm thick; each string has a diameter of around 1 mm.

This object was collected by Samuel P. Powell at a place called Mogari. This has not been specifically located, but may correspond with either Magwi, near Farajok in Eastern Equatoria Province, or Mogiri, near Gondokoro in the Bahr el Ghazal Province; both are in the Bari cultural area. Powell loaned this item to the Pitt Rivers Museum in 1940.

This type of apron was worn by Bari girls, and is known as
wande. It is similar in style to the waist fringe being worn by a Bari girl in R. Wyndham, 1936, The Gentle Savage, pl. 47. For the type worn by very young girls, see 1940.7.011 (Pilia) , and for the apron worn by married women, see 1940.7.09 (jufferaba).

Rachael Sparks 14/9/2005.

Primary Documentation:
Accession Book Entry [Loans II, p. 308] - ESTATE OF S.P. POWELL, C/O N.H. HASLAM, Esq. Manager, Westminster Bank, Stony Stratford, Bucks. Collected by himself. Data from his labels and notes. From the BARI TRIBE, EQUATORIAL PROVINCE, ANGLO-EGYPTIAN SUDAN. 1940.7.010 - Girl's sporran, plain string fringe dyed with oil and red ochre ( wande ).

Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the catalogue card [RTS 10/2/2004].

Related Documents File - Appears on undated typed list: "Bari Collection from the Equatorial Province, Sudan. Three different types of sporrans: - (b) The Wande, which is worn by the girls; this is a plain string fringe dyed with red ochre and oil". List is annotated by hand on back: "List of Curios" and "Far from complete" [RTS 16/12/2003].

Pitt Rivers Museum label - Girl's sporran of plain string fringe dyed with oil and red ochre. wande . BARI, from Mogari, Sudan. S.P. Powell [brown luggage label, tied to object; RTS 8/3/2005].



 
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