Dinka Tuich spoon
Other views of this artifact:
Accession Number:
1979.20.133
Country:
Sudan
Region:
[Southern Sudan] Northern Bahr el Ghazal ?Dhangrial ?Wun Rog ?Mayen
Cultural Group:
Dinka Tuich
Date Made:
By 1979
Materials:
Cattle Horn Animal
Process:
Carved
Dimensions:
L = 284 mm, L handle = 28 mm, W handle = 10 mm, Th handle = 9 mm, W bowl = 49 mm, depth bowl = 24 mm, th walls = 1 to 1.5 mm [RTS 18/6/2004].
Weight:
57.4 g
Other Owners:
Purchased by Brian John Mack (known as John Mack) (then at the Museum of Mankind) for 80 piastres between 17th and 26th February 1979 as part of the British Institute in East Africa's expedition to the Southern Sudan, headed by Patti Langton [RTS 14/6/200
Field Collector:
Brian John Mack (known as John Mack), Museum of Mankind
PRM Source:
Patti Langton
Acquired:
Purchased 1979
Collected Date:
17 - 26 February 1979
Description:
Spoon carved from a single piece of cattle horn, consisting of a short handle decorated with six incised grooves around its circumference, with a short almost cylindrical section below that has a slight ridge on the underside, just before joining the elongated bowl which has a convex underside, and is curved to follow the natural shape of the horn.
The upper surface has been hollowed out to form a concave interior that becomes shallower at the other end to form a long, deep scoop.
The horn is partially translucent, and an orangey brown colour (Pantone 7508C).
The surface has been polished, although the interior hollow is more roughly finished.
The spoon is largely complete, with slight damage to the underside and along one edge.
It has a total length of 284 mm, while the decorated part of the handle is 28 mm long.
This handle has a with of 10 mm and a thickness of 9 mm; the bowl is 49 mm at its widest part, and a maximum depth of 24 mm; the walls are around 1 to 1.5 mm thick, and it weighs 57.4 grams.
Purchased by Brian John Mack for 80 piastres as part of the British Institute in East Africa's expedition to the Southern Sudan, headed by Patti Langton. Although no place or date of collection is given for this object, Langton's expedition appears to have been collecting Dinka material from Dhangrial, Wun Rog and Mayen between 17th and 26th February 1979. All three sites 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.
The local name for this item was not recorded. For variants of this design, also coming from the Dinka Tuich, see 1979.20.132 and 1979.20.134.
Rachael Sparks 21/08/2005.
Purchased by Brian John Mack for 80 piastres as part of the British Institute in East Africa's expedition to the Southern Sudan, headed by Patti Langton. Although no place or date of collection is given for this object, Langton's expedition appears to have been collecting Dinka material from Dhangrial, Wun Rog and Mayen between 17th and 26th February 1979. All three sites 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.
The local name for this item was not recorded. For variants of this design, also coming from the Dinka Tuich, see 1979.20.132 and 1979.20.134.
Rachael Sparks 21/08/2005.
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.
204] 1979.20.133 Carved cow horn spoon.
Inside L = 28.3 cm.
Coll.
by J.
Mack; 80 pt.
Coll.
no.
165.
Additional Accession Book Entry [below accession number in red biro] - A5-F34-9.
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. This object appears on Langton's list only as a pencilled addition, titled 'extra Dinka (not on Pat's list, but on packing list)' [RTS 12/1/2004].
Additional Accession Book Entry [below accession number in red biro] - A5-F34-9.
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. This object appears on Langton's list only as a pencilled addition, titled 'extra Dinka (not on Pat's list, but on packing list)' [RTS 12/1/2004].
