Southern Larim adze
Other views of this artifact:
Accession Number:
1979.20.177
Country:
Sudan
Region:
[Southern Sudan] Eastern Equatoria Loryok
Cultural Group:
Southern Larim
Maker:
Unidentified local blacksmith
Date Made:
By March 1979
Materials:
Iron Metal
Process:
Forged (Metal) , Hammered , Bent , Socketed
Dimensions:
L = 195, blade W = 32.3, th = 6.5, socket diam = 31.5 x 31 mm [RTS 30/6/2005].
Weight:
195.4 g
Other Owners:
Purchased by Jill Goudie for 50 piastres, from the base camp at Loryok for the British Institute in Eastern Africa's Expedition to the Southern Sudan, headed by Patti Langton, between 20th and 25th March 1979 [RTS 12/5/2004].
Field Collector:
Jill Goudie
PRM Source:
Patti Langton
Acquired:
Purchased 1979
Collected Date:
20 - 25 March 1979
Description:
Iron adze, made from a single piece of metal.
This consists of a narrow blade with double bevelled and slightly curved cutting edge at the end, and concave sides that widen towards the base, where the metal has been bend round to form a cylindrical socket with touching seam running down the underside.
The blade and socket are in alignment with one another, although the blade curves down slightly towards its cutting edge.
This tool would have been hafted onto a 1 metre long handle, not present in this instance.
The adze head is complete and intact, currently a metallic gray colour (Pantone 420C) and has a weight of 195.4 grams.
It is 195 mm long, with a maximum blade width of 32.3 mm and thickness of 6.5 mm; the socket has a diameter of 31.5 by 31 mm.
Purchased by Jill Goudie at Loryok for 50 piastres, sometime between 20th and 25th March 1979, when working as archaeologist for the British Institute in Eastern Africa's Expedition to the Southern Sudan, headed by Patti Langton.
This tool was made by local blacksmiths, and used for making stools and carving logs into beehives. It would have been mounted onto a 1 metre long pole; the socketed base and blade type suggests that the handle should have had an angled foreshaft. The Southern Larim name for this object type was not recorded.
Rachael Sparks 8/9/2005.
Purchased by Jill Goudie at Loryok for 50 piastres, sometime between 20th and 25th March 1979, when working as archaeologist for the British Institute in Eastern Africa's Expedition to the Southern Sudan, headed by Patti Langton.
This tool was made by local blacksmiths, and used for making stools and carving logs into beehives. It would have been mounted onto a 1 metre long pole; the socketed base and blade type suggests that the handle should have had an angled foreshaft. The Southern Larim name for this object type was not recorded.
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.
210] 1979.20.163 - 193 SOUTHERN LARIM: Collected by Jill Goudie between 20.3 and 25.3.79 [p.
212] 1979.20.177 Iron instrument used for carving out logs for beehives, and for making stools.
Made by local blacksmiths.
Mounted on poles about 1 M.
long.
Inside L = 18.2 cm.; W.
blade end = 3.3 cm.
Coll.
no.
∆28; cost 50 pt.
Additional Accession Book Entry [below accession number in red biro] - A5-F36-7.
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the tribes catalogue card [RTS 26/5/2004].
Pitt Rivers Museum label - S. SUDAN, SOUTHERN LARIM. Iron axe [crossed out, 'adze' written above] head. P. Langton coll., no 28 [in triangle]. 1979.20.177 [plastic label with metal eyelet, tied to object; note object is not an axe; RTS 30/6/2005].
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].
Additional Accession Book Entry [below accession number in red biro] - A5-F36-7.
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the tribes catalogue card [RTS 26/5/2004].
Pitt Rivers Museum label - S. SUDAN, SOUTHERN LARIM. Iron axe [crossed out, 'adze' written above] head. P. Langton coll., no 28 [in triangle]. 1979.20.177 [plastic label with metal eyelet, tied to object; note object is not an axe; RTS 30/6/2005].
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].
