Dinka Tuich tobacco box

Other views of this artifact:

Accession Number:

1979.20.104

Country:

Sudan

Region:

[Southern Sudan] Northern Bahr el Ghazal ?Dhangrial ?Wun Rog ?Mayen

Cultural Group:

Dinka Tuich

Date Made:

By 1979

Materials:

Wood Plant , Gourd Plant?

Process:

Carved , Dried , Decorated , Pyroengraved Pokerwork

Dimensions:

Ht = 78.4 mm, diam rim ext. = 33, diam mouth = 21 mm; max W body = 44.5, Base L = 34.6, base W = 32.9 mm [RTS 24/9/2004].

Weight:

34.9 g

Local Name:

matup tap

Other Owners:

Purchased by Patti Langton for £1 on 26th February 1979 as part of the British Institute in Eastern Africa's Expedition to the Southern Sudan [RTS 14/5/2004].

Field Collector:

Patti Langton

PRM Source:

Patti Langton

Acquired:

Purchased 1979

Collected Date:

26 February 1979

Description:

Tobacco container or box carved from a single piece of light brown wood (Pantone 7508C), and consisting of a narrow rim with slightly rounded collar edge, undercut by a deep groove burnt into the sides immediately below; the body is narrow and barrel-shaped with convex sides, flaring in to an offset, low disc foot with flat underside. There are black scorch marks on the narrow area where the sides turn into this foot. The surface has been decorated with a series of lightly pyroengraved motifs, consisting of 7 vertical bands, framed by single lines on either side, and filled with a column of crosses, making in effect a column of running lozenges with plain interiors. The background, or triangular spaces between each lozenge have been filled with irregular burnt lines. This decoration is very faint in some areas and may have been worn away from handling. The vessel has presumably been hollowed out, and may contain some residues. However the circular mouth has been sealed with a disc-shaped plug with flat upper surface, made from a sandy, spongy, light yellowish material, possibly a fragment of gourd (Pantone 7507C); this is tightly wedged in place and cannot be removed. The vessel is complete, except for a small hole in the lower body; there are also some cracks at the rim, a small depression in the base, and another hole or depression in the top of the stopper. The edges of the stopper are damaged, probably from prying it out of the mouth during use. It has a weight of 34.9 grams, and is 78.4 mm high. The rim has an outer diameter of 33 mm, and a mouth diameter of 21 mm; the maximum width of the body is 44.5 mm, while the base measures 34.6 by 32.9 mm.

Purchased by Patti Langton for £1 on 26th February 1979 as part of the British Institute in Eastern 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.

The Dinka term for this object is matup tap; Nebel defines the term Tap (tab) as ‘tobacco’ (Nebel 1979, Dinka-English Dictionary, p. 81). Tap also seems to be the Nuer word for 'tobacco'.

Rachael Sparks 15/9/2005.

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 (the collectors) were offering money, the Dinka in surrounding compounds came daily, increasing prices as often as they could! [p. 200] 1979.20.104 Wooden tobacco container, matup tap . H = 7.9 cm. Coll. 26.2.79; £1. Coll. no. 264.
Additional Accession Book Entry [below accession number in red biro] - A5-F34-6.

Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the catalogue card [RTS 5/4/2004].

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, 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].