Shield, Nuer?
Other views of this artifact:
Accession Number:
1946.8.98
Country:
Sudan
Region:
[Southern Sudan?]
Cultural Group:
? Nuer
Date Made:
By 1918?
Materials:
Elephant Skin Animal , Wood Plant , Plant Fibre Yarn?
Process:
Carved , Stained , Decorated , Incised , Perforated
Dimensions:
Total L (= L shaft) = 1278, shaft diam = 28.8; shield body L = 1095, W = 377, th = 6.8 mm [RTS 3/8/2005].
Weight:
> 1000 g
Other Owners:
Collected by W. Sherlock Lennon, donated to the PRM by his sisters Kathleen Constance Averina Knowles and Mrs Cameron
Field Collector:
W. Sherlock Lennon
PRM Source:
Kathleen Constance Averina Knowles & Mrs Cameron
Acquired:
Donated August 1946
Collected Date:
About 1918
Description:
Shield made from a large piece of textured elephant hide, with a dark brown outer surface (Pantone Black 4C) and stained, reddish underside (Pantone 476C).
The body is roughly lentoid-shaped, and has been pushed outwards at the centre to form a raised boss.
Several pairs of slits have been cut in a row down the central axis, allowing 8 loops to be pulled out from the underside to hold a wooden shaft in place.
This pole provides both support for the hide and a handle, with the grip area lying directly below the hollow boss so the hand can close comfortably around the wood.
The skin would have been fitted over this pole while wet, with the loops tightening over the wood as they dried and fixing it securely in place.
The pole has been carved from a single piece of wood, with a convex top and slightly tapering base, decorated with 2 incised grooves near the end.
The wood has been stained a reddish brown colour (Pantone 4635C).
There are also 3 loops made from twisted cord tied onto the shaft; the cord looks European, and it is not clear if these loops are original or a later addition to assist hanging the object for display.
The shield is nearly complete, with a hole in the lower body; the shaft has cracked badly near the upper end.
It has a weight in excess of 1000 grams, with a total length of 1278 mm, a shaft diameter of 28.8 mm at the centre, and a body length of 1095 mm, width of 377 mm and thickness of 6.8 mm.
Collected by W. Sherlock Lennon on 17th February 1923, near Lake No, and donated to the PRM by his sisters Kathleen Constance Averina Knowles and Mrs Cameron in August 1946.
For a shield of similar design, collected by Evans-Pritchard amongst the Nuer, see 1937.34.43. A similar style of shield is published by Plaschke and Zirngibl with a rather general attribution to Nilotic tribes between the Blue and White Nile (D. Plaschke & M.A. Zirngibl, 1992, African Shields, cat. 30, p. 49).
Rachael Sparks 30/9/2005.
Collected by W. Sherlock Lennon on 17th February 1923, near Lake No, and donated to the PRM by his sisters Kathleen Constance Averina Knowles and Mrs Cameron in August 1946.
For a shield of similar design, collected by Evans-Pritchard amongst the Nuer, see 1937.34.43. A similar style of shield is published by Plaschke and Zirngibl with a rather general attribution to Nilotic tribes between the Blue and White Nile (D. Plaschke & M.A. Zirngibl, 1992, African Shields, cat. 30, p. 49).
Rachael Sparks 30/9/2005.
Primary Documentation:
Accession Book Entry
[p.
143]- LADY KNOWLES, 3 BRADMORE ROAD, OXFORD & MRS.
CAMERON.
Specimens collected by their brother,
CAPT
MAJOR W.S.
LENNON, from the NUER TRIBE, SUDAN, 1923.
Labelled by G.
R.
CARLINE.
Coll.
17 Nov.
1923.
[p.
145] 1946.8.98 - ?NUER, WHITE NILE.
Shield.
of elephant hide.
Dimensions 3' 7 1/2" x 1' 3" at centre, tapering to a point at each end.
Threaded on stick by long axis.
Length of stick 4' 2 1/2".
Coll[ected].
about 1918.
Additional Accession Book Entry [page facing 143] - Major W. S. Lennon was District Commissioner in the Sudan.
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the tribes catalogue card [RTS 23/7/2004].
Pitt Rivers Museum label - ?NUER. WHITE NILE. Coll. by Major W.S. Lennon about 1918. d.d. Lady Knowles & Mrs Cameron, 1946.8.98 [rectangular metal-edged tag, tied to object; RTS 3/8/2005].
Additional Accession Book Entry [page facing 143] - Major W. S. Lennon was District Commissioner in the Sudan.
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the tribes catalogue card [RTS 23/7/2004].
Pitt Rivers Museum label - ?NUER. WHITE NILE. Coll. by Major W.S. Lennon about 1918. d.d. Lady Knowles & Mrs Cameron, 1946.8.98 [rectangular metal-edged tag, tied to object; RTS 3/8/2005].
