Dinka Tuich arm ornament
Other views of this artifact:
Accession Number:
1979.20.121
Country:
Sudan
Region:
[Southern Sudan] Northern Bahr el Ghazal ?Dhangrial ?Wun Rog ?Mayen
Cultural Group:
Dinka Tuich
Date Made:
By 1979
Materials:
Animal Ivory Tooth
Process:
Carved , Polished , Incised , Decorated
Dimensions:
H = 94 mm, Diam (outer) = 141 by 137.3 mm, Diam (inner) = 103 by 96 mm (top), 87 by 85 (bottom edge), thickness 19.5 to 27 mm; Diam decorative circles 4 to 5 mm [RTS 2/6/2004].
Weight:
1500 g
Local Name:
tem
Other Owners:
Purchased by Patti Langton as part of the British Institute in East Africa's expedition to the Southern Sudan, between 17th and 26th February 1979 [RTS 1/6/2004].
Field Collector:
Patti Langton
PRM Source:
Patti Langton
Acquired:
Purchased 1979
Collected Date:
17 - 26 February 1979
Description:
Large annular arm ornament carved from a single piece of ivory and consisting of an almost circular ring with flat upper, lower, outer and inner faces.
The upper and lower surfaces have each been decorated with a series of incised ring and dot motifs, arranged into eight groups around the circumference, with three to four rows of dotted circles in each group, some of which are haphazardly arranged.
Most of the decorative incisions have filled, or been filled with a darker material that helps them to stand out from the pale colour of the ivory.
The object is complete, but has a large crack extending down one side, with additional minor cracks along one end; it is currently a strong yellow colour (Pantone 141C).
Decoration has also been applied around the crack, with three ring and dot motifs across the upper end of it, and a row of these running along the length of the crack on the outer face, flanked by vertical rows of dotted circles on either side.
This vertical decorative band stops just over halfway down the side of the object.
At least two of the circles cut into the crack are considerably deeper than the others.
Three deep circular depressions have also been bored along the length of the crack on the inside face of the object.
Judging by their shape, it would appear that this crack has sprung further apart since this work was done.
This object is probably an unfinished piece, as a series of short chisel marks, approximately 10 mm wide and slightly curved, may be seen over most of the interior walls.
These marks are not present on two areas on opposite sides of the bracelet's inner face, where the surface is smoother.
One of these areas features as series of vertical grooves, around 7 mm apart, which suggest the use of a different tool or carving technique.
The centre of the other area is where the crack had developed.
There are also narrow bands around the lower edge of the outer face of the object, and both lower and upper edges of the inner face, where the surface appears to be either damaged or unfinished, with two smaller, similar patches also being visible along the upper edge of the outer face.
Despite these indications, the surface is well polished and the object close to its finished form.
Either the object was nearly finished when it cracked, or alternatively, it was complete but in the process of being modified by increasing the diameter of the inner hole when it broke.
It measures 141 by 137.3 mm across its outside edges, and 103 by 96 mm across the inside edges, with a height of 94 mm and a thickness that varies from 19.5 to 27 mm.
The ring and dot designs have diameters that vary from 4 to 5 mm.
The object weighs 1500 grams.
Collected by Patti Langton sometime between 17th and 26th February 1979, as part of the British Institute in East 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.
Langton recorded that the Dinka Tuich purchased ivory from Baggara Arabs in Omdurman, and sometimes a whole tusk would be taken into Juba to get made into bracelets, with each bracelet being worth one cow. When an arm band breaks, it is recycled into narrower bracelets, rings and earrings by the local ivory worker. This particular type of ornament was worn on the upper arm, and is called tem by the Dinka Tuich. These are given when new to girls of marriageable age by the father's brother. The second daughter receives her tem from her sister's husband. When she marries, she gives it to her husband's mother, or husband's sister. The black circle designs are made with a special instrument along cracks in the ivory, as it is thought to prevent them breaking, but can also be purely decorative.
A similar object with comparable decoration is published by Fisher, who describes it as worn by Dinka men and said to be highly valued as 'it is now almost impossible to find big enough tusks from which to carve them' (A. Fisher, 1984, Africa Adorned , p. 65 no. 8). Domville Fife suggested that ivory bangles were worn by Dinka men who had speared an elephant (C.W. Domville Fife, 1927, Savage Life in the Black Sudan, p. 129); he does not give any specifics as to the actual form of the armlet, but gives it the name afjok. This is probably the term that appears in Nebel as apiok, meaning an ivory armlet. An alternative term is given as atum (ivory, round) (Nebel 1979, Dinka-English Dictionary, p. 106). Nebel does not mention the word tem .
Currently on display in the Upper Gallery, Case 26A.
Rachael Sparks 15/9/2005
Collected by Patti Langton sometime between 17th and 26th February 1979, as part of the British Institute in East 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.
Langton recorded that the Dinka Tuich purchased ivory from Baggara Arabs in Omdurman, and sometimes a whole tusk would be taken into Juba to get made into bracelets, with each bracelet being worth one cow. When an arm band breaks, it is recycled into narrower bracelets, rings and earrings by the local ivory worker. This particular type of ornament was worn on the upper arm, and is called tem by the Dinka Tuich. These are given when new to girls of marriageable age by the father's brother. The second daughter receives her tem from her sister's husband. When she marries, she gives it to her husband's mother, or husband's sister. The black circle designs are made with a special instrument along cracks in the ivory, as it is thought to prevent them breaking, but can also be purely decorative.
A similar object with comparable decoration is published by Fisher, who describes it as worn by Dinka men and said to be highly valued as 'it is now almost impossible to find big enough tusks from which to carve them' (A. Fisher, 1984, Africa Adorned , p. 65 no. 8). Domville Fife suggested that ivory bangles were worn by Dinka men who had speared an elephant (C.W. Domville Fife, 1927, Savage Life in the Black Sudan, p. 129); he does not give any specifics as to the actual form of the armlet, but gives it the name afjok. This is probably the term that appears in Nebel as apiok, meaning an ivory armlet. An alternative term is given as atum (ivory, round) (Nebel 1979, Dinka-English Dictionary, p. 106). Nebel does not mention the word tem .
Currently on display in the Upper Gallery, Case 26A.
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.
202] 1979.20.121 - 124 Ivories are purchased from Baggara Arabs in Omdurman.
Sometimes a whole tusk is taken to Juba to be made into bracelets.
The exchange value for a bracelet is one cow.
The black circle decorations are made with a special instrument along cracks in the ivory, as it is thought to prevent them breaking.
They can also be purely decorative.
When the arm band breaks it is used to make narrower bracelets, rings and earrings by the local ivorymaker.
[p.
203] 1979.20.121 Ivory bracelet,
tem
, worn on the upper arm.
Thick ivory decorated with stamped [Drawing of a circle with a dot in the center] on top and bottom surfaces.
When new these are worn by girls of marriageable age, given by the father's brother.
The second daughter receives her
tem
from her sister's husband.
When she marries she gives the
tem
to her husband's mother or husband's sister.
Coll.
no.
158.
H = 9.5 cm.
Outside Diam.
= 14 cm.; Inside Diam = 9.5 cm.
Additional Accession Book Entry [below accession number in red biro] - A5-F33-12.
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the catalogue card [but note possible error of 'husband's mother' for 'sister's mother'?; RTS 9/3/2004].
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. None of these sources gives the purchase price. The typed list refers to some photographs of the local ivorymaker [RTS 12/1/2004].
Written on object - 158 (pencil), S. SUDAN, DINKA, upper arm bracelet, P. Langton coll. 158 1979.20.121 [ink, RTS 1/6/2004].
Additional Accession Book Entry [below accession number in red biro] - A5-F33-12.
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the catalogue card [but note possible error of 'husband's mother' for 'sister's mother'?; RTS 9/3/2004].
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. None of these sources gives the purchase price. The typed list refers to some photographs of the local ivorymaker [RTS 12/1/2004].
Written on object - 158 (pencil), S. SUDAN, DINKA, upper arm bracelet, P. Langton coll. 158 1979.20.121 [ink, RTS 1/6/2004].
Display History:
Currently on display in the Upper Gallery, Case 26A [RTS 15/9/2005].
