Northern Larim lip ring
Other views of this artifact:
Accession Number:
1979.20.159
Country:
Sudan
Region:
[Southern Sudan] Eastern Equatoria Napongayit
Cultural Group:
Northern Larim
Date Made:
By 1979
Materials:
Brass Metal , ?Copper Metal
Process:
Twisted , Bent
Dimensions:
L = 25 mm, Diam head = 4.3 mm, W body = 1.8 mm, Th body = 1 mm [RTS 12/5/2004].
Weight:
1.1 g
Local Name:
gijitugu
Other Owners:
Exchanged at Napongayit by Patti Langton for a bar of soap 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:
Small hook for wearing as a lip ornament, made of a single piece of twisted brass wire that has been doubled over itself, and then bent into a hook, with the lower body forming a rough penannular circle, and the upper body as a short double stranded shaft that ends in a hemispherical copper knob, securing the loose ends of the wire and hiding the join.
This would have rested inside the mouth, and also helped keep the lip ring in place.
There is a slight gap visible between the two strands of wire throughout.
The object is complete, but there is a small break in the body near the curved end, and use wear on the wire near the upper end, but on one side of the object only.
The brass is currently a metallic yellow colour (Pantone 872C), while the knob is copper coloured (Pantone 876C).
It has a length of 25 mm, the head is 4.3 mm in diameter, and the double stranded body is 1.8 mm wide, with each strand being 1 mm thick; the weight is only 1.1 grams.
This object was bought by Patti Langton at Napongayit in the Kerenge Clan area on the 24th March 1979 , in exchange for a bar of soap, during the British Institute in East Africa's expedition to the Southern Sudan. Scented soap was used to purchase beaded ornament 1979.20.157, as it had never been seen in the village before and was highly valued.
This lip ring is known as gijitugu, and is worn by both men and women. Langton comments that all Larim children have their ears and lips pierced, and their 2 lower incisors removed when they are around seven years old. Toposa women sometimes wear a similar lip ornament, with longer body but comparably hooked end (see A. Fisher, Africa Adorned, 1984, p. 44-45).
Rachael Sparks 8/9/2005.
This object was bought by Patti Langton at Napongayit in the Kerenge Clan area on the 24th March 1979 , in exchange for a bar of soap, during the British Institute in East Africa's expedition to the Southern Sudan. Scented soap was used to purchase beaded ornament 1979.20.157, as it had never been seen in the village before and was highly valued.
This lip ring is known as gijitugu, and is worn by both men and women. Langton comments that all Larim children have their ears and lips pierced, and their 2 lower incisors removed when they are around seven years old. Toposa women sometimes wear a similar lip ornament, with longer body but comparably hooked end (see A. Fisher, Africa Adorned, 1984, p. 44-45).
Rachael Sparks 8/9/2005.
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 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 [p.
209] 1979.20.159 Brass lip ring,
gijitugu
.
Worn by men and women.
L = 2.5 cm.
Coll.
no.
PL 44.
Cost - a bar of soap.
Additional Accession Book Entry [below accession number in red biro] - A5-F35-8.
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the catalogue card [RTS 24/5/2004].
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 item appears in Langton's list under the heading 'Purchased in Kerenge clan, Napongayit village, where I was living', with the additional comment 'worn by men and women (see PL 42). Bar of soap'. The reference to PL 42 is probably to the comment made there 'all Larim children have 3 holes pierced in their ears, as well as a lip hole and 2 lower incisors removed when they are about 7 years old'. This object also appears on a packing list, under 'Box 2. Longarim. 1 lip ornament' [RTS 12/1/2004].
Additional Accession Book Entry [below accession number in red biro] - A5-F35-8.
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the catalogue card [RTS 24/5/2004].
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 item appears in Langton's list under the heading 'Purchased in Kerenge clan, Napongayit village, where I was living', with the additional comment 'worn by men and women (see PL 42). Bar of soap'. The reference to PL 42 is probably to the comment made there 'all Larim children have 3 holes pierced in their ears, as well as a lip hole and 2 lower incisors removed when they are about 7 years old'. This object also appears on a packing list, under 'Box 2. Longarim. 1 lip ornament' [RTS 12/1/2004].
