Shilluk arm ornament
Other views of this artifact:
Accession Number:
1928.59.2
Country:
Sudan
Region:
[Southern Sudan]
Cultural Group:
Shilluk
Date Made:
By 1928
Materials:
Wood Plant , String , ?Wool Yarn Animal , ?Cotton Yarn Plant
Process:
Carved , Polished , Perforated , Tied
Dimensions:
Max L = 100.3 mm Max W = 95.3 mm Max Ht = 30 mm [RTS 25/3/2004].
Weight:
43.6 g
PRM Source:
James Thomas Hooper
Acquired:
Purchased June 1928
Collected Date:
By 1928
Description:
Annular arm ornament, carved from a single piece of wood and consisting of a ring with flat inner face and very slightly convex narrow upper and lower surfaces and broad outer surface.
The wood is a light yellowish brown (Pantone 465C) and has been polished.
The object has been broken into two fragments at some time in the past, and then mended by boring a hole on either side of each break and fastening the fragments together using twisted string, possibly made from wool or cotton and probably European.
One one of the mends, this string has been passed through the hole twice and then knotted on the outside; on the other, it has been passed through at least four times and knotted twice, once on the inside.
There are some dark brown markings on the object, some of which run above and below the current string on one side; their cause is not known, although they may have come from something coating a previous tie.
The armlet measures 100.3 by 95.3 mm across the outer edges, and 76 by 76.5 mm across the inside edges, with the body having a thickness of 9 mm and a height of 30 mm; it weighs 43.6 grams overall.
This object belonged to the collection of J.T. Hooper, and was purchased from him in June 1928.
The arm ornament is said to come from the ‘White Nile’, a term that was probably been used to refer loosely to the Bahr el Abiad and Bahr el Jebel rivers or the areas around them, and was worn above the elbow.
Rachael Sparks 30/9/2005.
This object belonged to the collection of J.T. Hooper, and was purchased from him in June 1928.
The arm ornament is said to come from the ‘White Nile’, a term that was probably been used to refer loosely to the Bahr el Abiad and Bahr el Jebel rivers or the areas around them, and was worn above the elbow.
Rachael Sparks 30/9/2005.
Primary Documentation:
Accession Book Entry
[BIV, p.
101] 1928 [insert] 59 [end insert]
MR J.T.
HOOPER
,
Le Musée', Littlemore, Oxon.
4 June [insert] 2 [end insert] - Plain wooden arm-ring, worn above the elbow, SHILLUK, WHITE NILE [p.
103, total for items 1928.59.1-40] P[ai]d by cheque 4 June, 1928 £7-5-6.
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the tribes catalogue card [RTS 23/7/2004].
Related Documents File [James Thomas Hooper, Catalogue of Ethnographical Material ] - The museum has a photocopy of Hooper's accession and dispersal records, which are bound as two volumes and kept in a separate box file. Items are arranged according to Hooper's own numbering system [RTS 21/11/2003].
Pitt Rivers Museum label - AFRICA, Sudan SHILLUK Annular wooden arm ornament mended with string Purchased J.T. HOOPER June 1928 1928.59.2 [LM 'DCF 2004-2006 What's Upstairs?' 12/10/2005]
Written on object - SHILLUK. Pur. 4.6.1928 (Hooper) [inside surface], SHILLUK ARMLET WORN ABOVE THE ELBOW. WHITE NILE. SUDAN [outer surface; RTS 16/3/2004].
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the tribes catalogue card [RTS 23/7/2004].
Related Documents File [James Thomas Hooper, Catalogue of Ethnographical Material ] - The museum has a photocopy of Hooper's accession and dispersal records, which are bound as two volumes and kept in a separate box file. Items are arranged according to Hooper's own numbering system [RTS 21/11/2003].
Pitt Rivers Museum label - AFRICA, Sudan SHILLUK Annular wooden arm ornament mended with string Purchased J.T. HOOPER June 1928 1928.59.2 [LM 'DCF 2004-2006 What's Upstairs?' 12/10/2005]
Written on object - SHILLUK. Pur. 4.6.1928 (Hooper) [inside surface], SHILLUK ARMLET WORN ABOVE THE ELBOW. WHITE NILE. SUDAN [outer surface; RTS 16/3/2004].
