Northern Larim beer vessel
Other views of this artifact:
Accession Number:
1979.20.155
Country:
Sudan
Region:
[Southern Sudan] Eastern Equatoria Napongayit
Cultural Group:
Northern Larim
Date Made:
By 1979
Materials:
Gourd Plant
Process:
Hollowed , Dried
Dimensions:
Ht = 293, mouth diam = 45, max body diam = 287 mm [RTS 16/8/2005].
Weight:
248 g
Other Owners:
Purchased at Napongayit by Patti Langton for £1 during the British Institute in East Africa's expedition to the Southern Sudan on the 24th March 1979.
Field Collector:
Patti Langton
PRM Source:
Patti Langton
Acquired:
Purchased 1979
Collected Date:
24 March 1979
Description:
Gourd vessel with a small holemouth opening cut into the top, and a broad body that is very circular when viewed from the front, and oval when viewed from above, on a convex base.
The body has a swollen section at the centre of the front, where the stem was attached to the original plant, and a corresponding flattened section on the opposite face, representing the natural 'base' of the plant.
The vessel cannot stand in its correct orientation unaided.
The exterior has traces of a pale yellow skin (Pantone 7508C), largely removed to expose the warmer orange surface below (Pantone 7510C).
The vessel is complete and intact, with a few minor surface scratches; it has a weight of 238 grams and is 293 mm high, with a mouth diameter of 45 mm, and a maximum body diameter of 287 mm.
Purchased at Napongayit by Patti Langton for £1 during the British Institute in East Africa's expedition to the Southern Sudan on the 24th March 1979. This area was part of the Kerenge clan.
The vessel was used to carry a fermented sorghum/millet mixture, similar to beer, to the fields during cultivation. The fields tend to be about 6 miles from the village. It seems likely that some kind of stopper must have been used to seal the mouth in transit. This example has no smell, and probably has not been used.
Rachael Sparks 17/8/2005.
Purchased at Napongayit by Patti Langton for £1 during the British Institute in East Africa's expedition to the Southern Sudan on the 24th March 1979. This area was part of the Kerenge clan.
The vessel was used to carry a fermented sorghum/millet mixture, similar to beer, to the fields during cultivation. The fields tend to be about 6 miles from the village. It seems likely that some kind of stopper must have been used to seal the mouth in transit. This example has no smell, and probably has not been used.
Rachael Sparks 17/8/2005.
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 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.
208] 1979.20.155 - 162 NORTH LARIM/BOYA; KERENGE CLAN, NAPONGAYIT VILLAGE; 24-3-79 [pp 208-9] 1979.20.155 Large gourd with small aperture, used to carry "beer" (a fermented sorghum/millet mixture) to the fields during cultivation.
The fields tend to be about 6 miles from the village.
Length when lying naturally = ca.
23 cm.
PL 37.
Cost £1.
Additional Accession Book Entry [below accession number in red biro] - A5-F35-16.
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the catalogue card [RTS 25/5/2004].
Pitt Rivers Museum label - AFRICA, Sudan, Napongayit. Northern Larim. Gourd used to carry beer. Purch. P. Langton PL 37. 1979.20.155 [plastic coated label, loose with object; RTS 16/8/2005].
Written on object - S. SUDAN, N. LARIM. 'Beer' gourd. P. Langton coll. PL 37. 1979.20.155 [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 'Purchased in Kerenge clan, Napongayit village, where I was living' [RTS 12/1/2004].
Additional Accession Book Entry [below accession number in red biro] - A5-F35-16.
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the catalogue card [RTS 25/5/2004].
Pitt Rivers Museum label - AFRICA, Sudan, Napongayit. Northern Larim. Gourd used to carry beer. Purch. P. Langton PL 37. 1979.20.155 [plastic coated label, loose with object; RTS 16/8/2005].
Written on object - S. SUDAN, N. LARIM. 'Beer' gourd. P. Langton coll. PL 37. 1979.20.155 [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 'Purchased in Kerenge clan, Napongayit village, where I was living' [RTS 12/1/2004].
