Dinka Tuich cord
Other views of this artifact:
Accession Number:
1979.20.63
Country:
Sudan
Region:
[Southern Sudan] Northern Bahr el Ghazal ?Dhangrial ?Wun Rog ?Mayen
Cultural Group:
Dinka Tuich
Maker:
Made by women.
Date Made:
By 1979
Materials:
Grass Fibre Plant
Process:
Dried , Plaited , Wound , Bound , Tied
Dimensions:
L (as bound) = 540, W across coils = 190, cord W = 6, th = 3.5, component strand W = 4 mm [RTS 2/12/2004].
Weight:
162.6 g
Local Name:
nai
Other Owners:
Collected by Patti Langton on 17th February 1979 as part of the British Institute in Eastern Africa's Expedition to the Southern Sudan [RTS 15/6/2004].
Field Collector:
Patti Langton
PRM Source:
Patti Langton
Acquired:
Purchased 1979
Collected Date:
17 February 1979
Description:
A long piece of cord, made from multi stranded lengths of flat grass gathered into two sections and plaited together.
One end has been bound around with one of these strips to secure it; the other has been left unfixed, and the loose grass ends are beginning to fray and unravel slightly.
This cord has been coiled into 22 loops, then further grass strips have been tied around the top and bottom sections to keep these coils in place.
The rope is complete, with some fraying sections along its length, and is currently a yellow colour (Pantone 7403C).
It has a weight of 162.6 grams, and, as bound, a total length of 540 mm and a width across the coils of 190 mm.
The cord itself is 6 mm wide and 3.5 mm thick, with each component strand having a width of 4 mm.
Collected by Patti Langton on 17th February 1979 as part of the British Institute in East Africa's expedition to the southern Sudan. The place of collection was not specified, but would have been either Dhangrial, Wun Rog or Mayen, all of which like in the modern administrative district of Northern Bahr el Ghazal. For a map showing the distribution of Dinka Tuich groups, see J. Ryle, 1982, Warriors of the White Nile: The Dinka , p. 25.
This rope is made by women from thieth grass, and is called nai. Nebel defines nai as a verb, ‘twist’, or noun ‘twisted grass string (Nebel 1979, Dinka-English Dictionary, p. 60). The grass is cut and tied into bundles while still green; these are then taken to the river and soaked until white, then dried in the sun and plaited. Nai is used to tie together the poles used for making the roof of a hut. It also covers the rings of coarse rieth grass, known as buch, which strengthen and join together the roof structure.
Currently on display in the Upper Gallery, Case 26A.
Rachael Sparks 25/9/2005.
Collected by Patti Langton on 17th February 1979 as part of the British Institute in East Africa's expedition to the southern Sudan. The place of collection was not specified, but would have been either Dhangrial, Wun Rog or Mayen, all of which like in the modern administrative district of Northern Bahr el Ghazal. For a map showing the distribution of Dinka Tuich groups, see J. Ryle, 1982, Warriors of the White Nile: The Dinka , p. 25.
This rope is made by women from thieth grass, and is called nai. Nebel defines nai as a verb, ‘twist’, or noun ‘twisted grass string (Nebel 1979, Dinka-English Dictionary, p. 60). The grass is cut and tied into bundles while still green; these are then taken to the river and soaked until white, then dried in the sun and plaited. Nai is used to tie together the poles used for making the roof of a hut. It also covers the rings of coarse rieth grass, known as buch, which strengthen and join together the roof structure.
Currently on display in the Upper Gallery, Case 26A.
Rachael Sparks 25/9/2005.
Primary Documentation:
Accession Book Entry
[p.
185] - 1979.20 (.1 - 206) P[urchase] MISS PATTI LANGTON, DEPT.
of ETHNOLOGY & PREHISTORY, OXFORD.
Collection made by Patti Langton during the British Institute in East Africa's expedition to the Southern Sudan; Jan.
- April 1979.
The collection was made in three culture areas during the dry season.
The amount paid for each object is listed if the information is known.
In Jan.
1979 £1 is equivalent to 95 piastres (pt.) Sudanese.
This documentation is based largely upon Patti's own list of objects and her notes on these.
Sometimes objects included in the Pitt Rivers alottment of the collection do not appear on her list and have been added here.
See Related Documents file as well.
[p.
191] 1979.20.43-135 SOUTHERN SUDAN the DINKA TUICH.
The Dinka Tuich, a pastoral people, live to the north of Wau, in Bahr el Ghazal province.
This collection was made mostly at Dhangrial, the archaeological site at which we camped.
Other artifacts were collected either at Wun Rog, a small town about a mile south of Dhangrial, or at Mayen, the new administrative centre 12 miles north.
This was a remote area, difficult of access and rarely visited by outsiders.
The Dinka are very aware of the potential of money, which is used either to help family members acquire education or entry into commerce and administration in Juba or Khartoum.
Once it was known we [insert] (the collectors) [end insert] were offering money, the Dinka in surrounding compounds came daily, increasing prices as often as they could! [pp 193 - 194] 1979.20.63 Length of plaited rope made from
thieth
grass by women -
nai
.
They cut the grasses and tie these into bundles while still green.
These are taken to the river and soaked until white, then dried in the sun and plaited.
Nai
is used to tie together the poles used for making the roof of huts.
It also covers the rings of coarse
riath
grass (
buch
) which strengthen and join together the roof structure.
[Drawing] Coll.
17.2.79.
Coll.
no.
133.
Additional Accession Book Entry [below accession number in red biro] - A5-F33-8.
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the catalogue card [RTS 6/4/2004].
Related Documents File - 1979.20 contains a typed packing list, which has been annotated; a typed list of objects arranged by Langton collection numbers and with pencil and biro annotations (note these do not give the purchase price), and a handwritten list of objects by museum number, essentially repeating this information and annotated with PRM photo numbers in red. This handwritten list seems to be the direct source for the accession book entry [RTS 12/1/2004].
Additional Accession Book Entry [below accession number in red biro] - A5-F33-8.
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the catalogue card [RTS 6/4/2004].
Related Documents File - 1979.20 contains a typed packing list, which has been annotated; a typed list of objects arranged by Langton collection numbers and with pencil and biro annotations (note these do not give the purchase price), and a handwritten list of objects by museum number, essentially repeating this information and annotated with PRM photo numbers in red. This handwritten list seems to be the direct source for the accession book entry [RTS 12/1/2004].
Display History:
Current display label - SUDAN, BAHR EL GHAZAL; DINKA.
Length of plaited rope, nai, made from thieth grass by women.
They are used to tie together hut roof poles.
Collected and puchased from P.
Langton.
1979.20.63 [in case U.26.A; RTS 13/12/2004].
