Shilluk pipe mouthpiece
Other views of this artifact:
Accession Number:
1917.28.2 .1 .2 .3 .4
Country:
Sudan
Region:
[Southern Sudan?] [White Nile]
Cultural Group:
Shilluk
Date Made:
By 1917
Materials:
Gourd Plant , Animal Hide Skin , Plant Fibre
Process:
Stuffed
Dimensions:
[.1] Ht = 87 mm, W Rim = 24.2, W neck = 22.7 mm, W body = 64.5 mm. [.2] Ht = 67 mm, Diam Rim = 8 mm, diam body = 63.2 mm, diam lower opening = 13 mm [RTS 30/9/2004].
Weight:
31.2 g (total of all parts)
Other Owners:
Henry Balfour
Field Collector:
?Henry Balfour
PRM Source:
Henry Balfour
Acquired:
Donated October 1917
Collected Date:
By 1917
Description:
Mouthpiece from a tobacco pipe, consisting of an outer hide casing with mouthpiece [.1], and inner gourd shell in two joining parts [.2] and [.3] filled with a wad of orange fibre which is used to absorb the tobacco juice and may be chewed afterwards [.4].
1917.28.2.1: Outer casing made from a piece of hardened animal hide, and consisting of a long cylindrical neck, cut flat across the top, joining a hemispherical body with rounded shoulder, unevenly cut to form a flat base. The body was probably shaped over the inner shell when wet and shrunken to match its form. This is hollow and open at both ends. There are traces of burnt tobacco residue around the interior junction of neck and body, accompanied by a smell of tobacco. The exterior surface is a yellow colour (Pantone 7508C), darkened on one side. The casing is complete and intact, and has a height of 87 mm, rim width of 24.2 mm, neck diameter of 22.7 mm and maximum diameter of 64.5 mm.
1917.28.2.2: Inner shell, fitting closely inside the hemispherical part of [.1]. This is made from a gourd and consists of a small opening at the top with a holemouth edge, swelling out gently below to a spherical body, then in to a convex base with a larger opening in the centre, the top of which has been cut away. This has been broken and mended, but several fragments of the body are missing, and one fragment, 1917.28.2.3, cannot be rejoined as the edges have become distorted. The shell has a narrow band of yellowish material adhering around the centre of its circumference; the lower body is a darker colour, perhaps affected by heat, with scorch marks around the lower opening, while the upper body is a brighter orange that seems to be closer to the natural colour of the gourd (Pantone 470C). Traces of burnt tobacco adhere to the lower mouth, which would fit into the neck of the outer casing. This part is 67 mm high, with a rim diameter of 8 mm, a maximum body diameter of 63.2 mm, and a lower opening diameter of 13 mm.
1917.28.2.4: A wad of fibrous material, rolled into a ball that fills the inner shell of the mouthpiece. This is an orange colour (Pantone 722C), but has been burnt a darker brown in its lower part. It carries a strong scent of tobacco.
All these separate parts combine to form an object that has a weight of 31.2 grams.
This object was donated to the Museum by Henry Balfour in October 1917. It is said to come from the Shilluk on the White Nile. The fibre in the mouthpiece becomes saturated with tobacco juice and nicotine during smoking; men later remove it for chewing.
Rachael Sparks 30/9/2005.
1917.28.2.1: Outer casing made from a piece of hardened animal hide, and consisting of a long cylindrical neck, cut flat across the top, joining a hemispherical body with rounded shoulder, unevenly cut to form a flat base. The body was probably shaped over the inner shell when wet and shrunken to match its form. This is hollow and open at both ends. There are traces of burnt tobacco residue around the interior junction of neck and body, accompanied by a smell of tobacco. The exterior surface is a yellow colour (Pantone 7508C), darkened on one side. The casing is complete and intact, and has a height of 87 mm, rim width of 24.2 mm, neck diameter of 22.7 mm and maximum diameter of 64.5 mm.
1917.28.2.2: Inner shell, fitting closely inside the hemispherical part of [.1]. This is made from a gourd and consists of a small opening at the top with a holemouth edge, swelling out gently below to a spherical body, then in to a convex base with a larger opening in the centre, the top of which has been cut away. This has been broken and mended, but several fragments of the body are missing, and one fragment, 1917.28.2.3, cannot be rejoined as the edges have become distorted. The shell has a narrow band of yellowish material adhering around the centre of its circumference; the lower body is a darker colour, perhaps affected by heat, with scorch marks around the lower opening, while the upper body is a brighter orange that seems to be closer to the natural colour of the gourd (Pantone 470C). Traces of burnt tobacco adhere to the lower mouth, which would fit into the neck of the outer casing. This part is 67 mm high, with a rim diameter of 8 mm, a maximum body diameter of 63.2 mm, and a lower opening diameter of 13 mm.
1917.28.2.4: A wad of fibrous material, rolled into a ball that fills the inner shell of the mouthpiece. This is an orange colour (Pantone 722C), but has been burnt a darker brown in its lower part. It carries a strong scent of tobacco.
All these separate parts combine to form an object that has a weight of 31.2 grams.
This object was donated to the Museum by Henry Balfour in October 1917. It is said to come from the Shilluk on the White Nile. The fibre in the mouthpiece becomes saturated with tobacco juice and nicotine during smoking; men later remove it for chewing.
Rachael Sparks 30/9/2005.
Primary Documentation:
Accession Book Entry VI
[p.
58] - 1917 [pencil insert] 28 [end insert]
H.
BALFOUR
- cont[inue]d.
Oct[ober].
[pencil insert] 2 [end insert] - Gourd mouthpiece of tobacco pipe, containing fibre which absorbs the tobacco juice & is afterwards chewed by the men, White Nile, Cent[ral].
Africa.
Accession book entry Balfour 1 [p. 79] - Gourd mouthpiece of tobacco-pipe containing fibre to absorb the nicotine afterwards chewed by men. WHITE NILE. C.A.
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the tribes catalogue card [RTS 30/1/2004].
Written on object - SHILLUK mouthpiece for tobacco-pipe, showing fibre placed inside. This becomes saturated with tobacco-juice & is then chewed by the men. WHITE NILE. Pres. by H.Balfour, 1917 [DCF Court Team 2/4/2003; written on the outer casing].
Accession book entry Balfour 1 [p. 79] - Gourd mouthpiece of tobacco-pipe containing fibre to absorb the nicotine afterwards chewed by men. WHITE NILE. C.A.
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the tribes catalogue card [RTS 30/1/2004].
Written on object - SHILLUK mouthpiece for tobacco-pipe, showing fibre placed inside. This becomes saturated with tobacco-juice & is then chewed by the men. WHITE NILE. Pres. by H.Balfour, 1917 [DCF Court Team 2/4/2003; written on the outer casing].
