Southern Larim feather container

1979.20.165

Sudan

[Southern Sudan] Eastern Equatoria Loryok

Southern Larim

By March 1979

Gourd Plant

Hollowed , Dried , Decorated , Sgraffito

L = 370, diam top = 16.5 x 16.3, mouth diam = 20 x 16, max body diam = 54 x 53.8 mm [RTS 16/8/2005].

60.4 g

Purchased at Loryok for 25 piastres sometime between 20th and 25th March 1979 by Jill Goudie, an archaeologist who was part of the British Institute in Eastern Africa's Expedition to the Southern Sudan, headed by Patti Langton [RTS 12/5/2004].

Jill Goudie

Patti Langton

Purchased 1979

20 - 25 March 1979

Container made from a long gourd with a narrow cylindrical body, naturally bent into a hook shape at the top that could be used to hang the vessel up inside the hut. Below this, the body gradually straightens out and expands towards its lower part, before tapering in to a pointed base. A small oval opening has been cut into the upper part of the vessel, and the interior pulp removed to make a hollow container that was used to store ostrich dance feathers, along with oil to keep the insects away. The surface skin is a yellow colour (Pantone 7510C); this has been partially scratched away on the inside face of the body to expose the darker orange of the surface beneath (Pantone 7511C), in the shape of an ostrich with long neck, plump body and clawed feet, using a technique known as sgraffito. There are also 2 pairs of roughly parallel lines scratched on either side of the vessel mouth, possibly a further attempt at decoration. The vessel is complete and intact, with minor scratches over the surface; it has a weight of 60.4 grams and is 370 mm long, with a top diameter of 16.5 by 16.3 mm, a mouth diameter of 20 by 16 mm, and a maximum body diameter of 54 by 53.8 mm.

Purchased at Loryok for 25 piastres sometime between 20th and 25th March 1979 by Jill Goudie, an archaeologist who was part of the British Institute in Eastern Africa's Expedition to the Southern Sudan, headed by Patti Langton.

This vessel was used as a storage container for ostrich feathers, which were used for dancing; it was hung up inside the hut, probably making use of the natural hooked shape of the gourd top for this purpose. Its local name has not been recorded. The Larim also made use of the sgraffito technique for decorating gourd bowls, often in combination with incised and coloured patterns; see 1979.20.166 (an oil container) and 1979.20.170 (an eating bowl).

Rachael Sparks 18/8/2005.

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 alootment of the collection do not appear on her list and have been added here. See Related Documents file as well. [p. 204] 1979.20.136 - 193 SOUTHERN SUDAN the LARIM The Larim live about 50 miles west of Kapoeta in the eastern corner of S. Sudan. They are a non-Nilotic pastoral people, living in permanent mountain villages. They are part of the Didinga-Longarim-Murle language group. They live in the Boya Hills - Boya is the Topasa (neighbouring group) name for the Larim, which is also used by the Administration. Longarim is the Didinga's name for them but they call themselves the Larim, and that is used here. [p. 205] The LARIM The collection was made in two parts. The "PL" labelled material was collected during Pat Langton's stay in a village in the Northern Larim area. The "∆" labelled material was collected by Jill Goudie, one of the archaeologists on the Expedition, from the base camp LARYOK, among the Southern Larim. Money is known among the Larim but it is used only for buying beads for women from Kapoeta, or for the few members of the group who would go to Juba. The women especially were more interested in exchange gifts of salt, cloth & soap. The Larim material is documented in three parts: a) General Larim pieces - no information as to which section of the Larim it comes from b) the "PL" Collection from the Northern Larim, from three of the eight Northern Larim clans c) the Southern Larim material collected by Jill Goudie, numbered "∆". [p. 210] 1979.20.163 - 193 SOUTHERN LARIM: Collected by Jill Goudie between 20.3 and 25.3.79 [210] 1979.20.165 Long undecorated gourd used for keeping ostrich feathers, which are used for dancing. Oil is put in with the feathers to keep insects away. The gourd is hung inside the hut. Some gourds are decorated. L = ca. 37 cm. Coll. no. ∆4; cost 25 pt.
Additional Accession Book Entry [below accession number in red biro] - A5-F35-2.

Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the tribes catalogue card [RTS 26/5/2004].

Pitt Rivers Museum label - AFRICA, Sudan, Loryok. Southern Larim. Narrow gourd with sgraffito ostrich, used to hold dance feathers. Purch. P. Langton 4 [in triangle], 1979.20.165 [plastic coated label, tied to object; RTS 16/8/2005].

Written on object - 4 [in triangle; pencil]; S. SUDAN, S. LARIM. P. Langton coll. 4 [in triangle]. 1979.20.165 [ink; RTS 16/8/2005].

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 item appears in Langton's list under the heading 'Southern Larim. These were all collected between 20.3.79 and 25.3.79' [RTS 12/1/2004].