Dinka Tuich shield
Other views of this artifact:
Accession Number:
1979.20.116
Country:
Sudan
Region:
[Southern Sudan] Northern Bahr el Ghazal ?Dhangrial ?Wun Rog ?Mayen
Cultural Group:
Dinka Tuich
Date Made:
By 1979
Materials:
Crocodile Skin Reptile , Wood Plant , Textile , Plant Fibre Yarn
Process:
Carved , Polished , Chequer Woven , Tied , Knotted , Recycled
Dimensions:
Central pole L = 1050, W = 26.5, th = 25 mm; shield L = 870, W = 470, edge th = 4 mm; cloth loops as tied W = 7.5 and 30 mm [RTS 18/1/2005].
Weight:
>1000 g
Local Name:
kot
Other Owners:
Purchased by Patti Langton for £1.50 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:
Shield made from a large piece of crocodile skin, cut flat across the top and bottom edge with long sides that slightly expand towards the base.
The outer surface is a brown to yellowish brown colour (Pantone 7509C); the underside has been roughly finished and is predominantly reddish brown (Pantone 483C).
A series of 11 pairs of slits have been cut in a row running down the centre of the body, which act as loops to hold a central pole that has been threaded through them.
The skin would have been fitted over this pole while wet, and pegged out on the ground to retain its shape; the skin loops then tightened over the wood as they dried.
This process also resulted in some some curling of the edges, as well as a deliberate horizontal fold across the centre, which has a hollow underside that provides room for the owner's knuckles when using the central part of the pole as a hand grip.
This pole was been cut from a tree branch, with the outer surface trimmed and shaved to shape, giving it a roughly oval section with some flattened areas.
This is damaged on both the upper and lower ends and has some split areas along the body; surviving surfaces have a high polish and are an orangey brown colour (Pantone 470C).
The shield also has 2 large loops made out of recycled scraps of textile tied around this central handle area; these were probably used to carry or suspend the object.
The smaller loop has been cut from a rectangular strip of chequer woven cloth, very frayed around the edges and with numerous holes through its body.
The colour has probably faded, and it is blackened at one end; it currently has a light brown colour background (Pantone 7401C) onto which has been printed a pattern made up of repeating coloured bands.
The main band is framed by gray or black horizontal lines, with a row of lozenges and pendant triangles in red and the same gray or black between; this alternates with a sequence of solid narrow red, light gray, buff, red, buff, light gray and then red bands of colour.
The ends of this material have been knotted together around the handle to form a simple loop.
The second loop is much narrower, and has been made from a reused piece of chequer woven cloth twisted into a cord with the loose ends also knotted together.
This appears to be taken from a finished edge of a larger piece and has a row of machine stitching running down its centre.
It is now predominantly a brownish buff colour (Pantone 7508C), but the original cream colour is still visible in places (Pantone 7506C).
A short length of plant fibre cord, made from around 6 strands twisted together, has also been tied into the end knot of this loop and is of a similar buff colour.
The shield is nearly complete, but with some damaged and torn areas around the edges, as well as the damage to the wooden pole mentioned above. The central pole is 1050 mm long, 26.5 mm wide and 25 mm thick; the shield body is 870 mm long and 470 mm wide, with an edge thickness of 4 mm. The cloth loops, as tied, are 7.5 mm and 30 mm wide respectively.
Purchased by Patti Langton for £1.50 on 26th February 1979 as part of the British Institute in Eastern Africa's Expedition to the Southern Sudan. The collection place was not specified, but it was probably obtained at Dhangrial, Wun Rog or Mayen, all of which lie within 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.
Langton records the Dinka name for this object as kot; Nebel defines the term Kot, pl. koot as a ‘shield (of hide)’ (Nebel 1979, Dinka-English Dictionary, p. 185). Dinka shields are made by soaking the hide in water, pegging it out to stiffen and dry with the central pole in place, then trimming the edges to shape; for photographs showing this process, see J. Ryle, 1982, Warriors of the White Nile, the Dinka, p. 49. According to Domville Fife, the Dinka used a range of materials for their shields, including crocodile, hippopotamus, elephant or buffalo hide (C.W. Domville Fife, 1927, Savage Life in the Black Sudan, p. 129).
This object is currently on display in the Upper Gallery, Case 26A.
Rachael Sparks 30/9/2005.
The shield is nearly complete, but with some damaged and torn areas around the edges, as well as the damage to the wooden pole mentioned above. The central pole is 1050 mm long, 26.5 mm wide and 25 mm thick; the shield body is 870 mm long and 470 mm wide, with an edge thickness of 4 mm. The cloth loops, as tied, are 7.5 mm and 30 mm wide respectively.
Purchased by Patti Langton for £1.50 on 26th February 1979 as part of the British Institute in Eastern Africa's Expedition to the Southern Sudan. The collection place was not specified, but it was probably obtained at Dhangrial, Wun Rog or Mayen, all of which lie within 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.
Langton records the Dinka name for this object as kot; Nebel defines the term Kot, pl. koot as a ‘shield (of hide)’ (Nebel 1979, Dinka-English Dictionary, p. 185). Dinka shields are made by soaking the hide in water, pegging it out to stiffen and dry with the central pole in place, then trimming the edges to shape; for photographs showing this process, see J. Ryle, 1982, Warriors of the White Nile, the Dinka, p. 49. According to Domville Fife, the Dinka used a range of materials for their shields, including crocodile, hippopotamus, elephant or buffalo hide (C.W. Domville Fife, 1927, Savage Life in the Black Sudan, p. 129).
This object is currently on display in the Upper Gallery, Case 26A.
Rachael Sparks 30/9/2005.
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.
201] 1979.20.116 Shield,
kot
, of crocodile skin.
Total L = 1.07 M., W = ca.
48 cm.
Coll.
26.2.79; £1.50.
Coll.
no.
297.
Additional Accession Book Entry [below accession number in red biro] - A5-F34-1.
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, 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].
Old Pitt Rivers Museum label - S. SUDAN DINKA TUICH shield, kot . Pat Langton coll., 297, 1979.20.116 [Plastic tag with metal ring, tied to object; RTS 18/1/2005].
Additional Accession Book Entry [below accession number in red biro] - A5-F34-1.
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, 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].
Old Pitt Rivers Museum label - S. SUDAN DINKA TUICH shield, kot . Pat Langton coll., 297, 1979.20.116 [Plastic tag with metal ring, tied to object; RTS 18/1/2005].
