Dinka Tuich spoon
Other views of this artifact:
Accession Number:
1979.20.58
Country:
Sudan
Region:
[Southern Sudan] Northern Bahr el Ghazal ?Dhangrial ?Wun Rog ?Mayen
Cultural Group:
Dinka Tuich
Date Made:
By 1979
Materials:
Mussel Shell , Mother of Pearl Shell
Dimensions:
L = 116 mm, W = 71 mm, Ht = 18.2, mm, Th = less than 1 mm [RTS 28/6/2004].
Weight:
39.5 g
Local Name:
thial jawaak
Other Owners:
Purchased by Patti Langton for 10 piastres on 18th February 1979 as part of the British Institute in Eastern Africa's Expedition to the Southern Sudan [RTS 15/6/2004].
Field Collector:
Patti Langton
PRM Source:
Patti Langton
Acquired:
Purchased 1979
Collected Date:
18 February 1979
Description:
Spoon or scoop made from one half of a bivalve shell, probably oyster or mussel, separated from its paired shell at the hinge but not obviously modified in any other way.
The object is oval in plan view, with a convex underside that is a slightly translucent brown with more opaque dark brown colouring (Pantone 464C and 476C).
The surface has flaked off around the shell apex, exposing the opaque white and pink opalescent colour of the underlying mother-of-pearl.
The surface has been weathered in parts, and is polished elsewhere; this polish may be naturally occurring.
The interior hollow is concave, and made up of the natural opalescent pinkish purple mother-of-pearl lining of the shell (Pantone 7415C).
The object is complete, apart from the surface damage mentioned above.
It is 116 mm long, 71 mm wide and 18.2 mm high, with the body being less than 1 mm thick around the edge.
It has a weight of 39.5 grams.
This shell was used as a ladle, and has the local name thial jawaak. A smaller version was said to have been found in the river and used as a spoon; its local name was given as thial (1979.20.57) . This is probably the same term as Nebel's Tial, plural tiet, which he defines as a ‘smaller shell, spoon’ (Nebel 1979, Dinka-English Dictionary, p. 82). The meaning of jawaak was not recorded.
The Anuak also utilise shells as spoons (see 1936.10.40-42, or variant form with serrated end, 1936.10.44-45). The Anuak shells are described as 'mussel shells' by Evans-Pritchard; they appear to be the same type as found here and that is probably the correct identification.
Rachael Sparks 20/08/2005.
This shell was used as a ladle, and has the local name thial jawaak. A smaller version was said to have been found in the river and used as a spoon; its local name was given as thial (1979.20.57) . This is probably the same term as Nebel's Tial, plural tiet, which he defines as a ‘smaller shell, spoon’ (Nebel 1979, Dinka-English Dictionary, p. 82). The meaning of jawaak was not recorded.
The Anuak also utilise shells as spoons (see 1936.10.40-42, or variant form with serrated end, 1936.10.44-45). The Anuak shells are described as 'mussel shells' by Evans-Pritchard; they appear to be the same type as found here and that is probably the correct identification.
Rachael Sparks 20/08/2005.
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 [insert] (the collectors) [end insert] were offering money, the Dinka in surrounding compounds came daily, increasing prices as often as they could! [p.
193] 1979.20.58 Large oyster shell used as a ladle,
thial jawaak
.
L = 11.6 cm.
Coll.
18.2.79; 10 pt.
Coll.
no.
127.
Additional Accession Book Entry [below accession number in red biro] - A5-F33-18.
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].
Written on object - 12 3 7 [in pencil on inside face; 127 in pencil on outside face]; S.SUDAN DINKA TUICH oyster shell spoon P. Langton coll., no. 127, 1979.20.58 [ink, inside face of spoon; RTS 28/6/2004].
Additional Accession Book Entry [below accession number in red biro] - A5-F33-18.
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].
Written on object - 12 3 7 [in pencil on inside face; 127 in pencil on outside face]; S.SUDAN DINKA TUICH oyster shell spoon P. Langton coll., no. 127, 1979.20.58 [ink, inside face of spoon; RTS 28/6/2004].
