Southern Larim dance collar

1979.20.178

Sudan

[Southern Sudan] Eastern Equatoria Loryok

Southern Larim

By March 1979

Animal Fur Skin , ?Monkey Hair Animal , Plant Fibre , Cotton Yarn Plant

Twisted , Tied , Stitched , Burnt

Max L = 810 mm Max W [across top] = 375 mm Max W [across body] = 216 mm Max Diam [across neck opening] = 100 mm [RTS 10/6/2004].

Purchased by Jill Goudie for £1 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].

Jill Goudie

Patti Langton

Purchased 1979

20 - 25 March 1979

Dance collar made from the skin of an animal with long black and white fur (Pantone black 6C and 7401C). The colouring is similar to that of a Colobus monkey, with black fur in the centre and along the limbs, and a mantle of long white fur around the edges and tail. The skin has been cut to retain the basic shape of the animal - with the side of the head, front and back legs and part of the tail preserved. There are two small flaps of hide on either side of the head that may be the remains of the animal's ears. There is an oval slit beneath this area on one side flap, and a longer slit running down the centre of the front leg flap on this side. On the opposite side, there is a wide oval slit near one edge, and a smaller slot cut below it. It is not clear if these slits are used as tabs for holding the collar in place behind the neck, or somehow related to the skinning process, although the former seems more likely. A circular hole has been cut out of the centre of the back; this would fit around the neck of the dancer. The edge of this cut-out area has been folded over, and it has been sewn down with a twisted plant fibre cord, using a loose tacking stitch. One end of this has been knotted to create a loop next to the hide surface, with the remaining loose end tapering to fine point that has been singed to prevent it fraying. The other end has been knotted, but not singed. The two ends of this cord could be tied together around the neck to secure the collar in place. If tied around the back of the neck, the tail would hang down the front of the wearer; if tied around the front, it would hang down their back. According to Patti Langton, the collar was worn in both ways. There is additional stitching at the base of the skin, where the original tail was removed, this time using a cotton thread. This is used to attach a second piece of skin with long white fur, that tapers to its end. The colouring of this is the same as the other white fur, and this was probably taken from the end of the tail of the same animal. The collar has a length of 810 mm, is 375 mm across the top and 216 mm across the body, while the diameter across the neck slot is 100 mm; all the preceding measurements have been taken across the surface of the skin, rather than its hair covering.

Purchased by Jill Goudie at Loryok for £1 sometime between 20th and 25th March 1979 as part of the British Institute in Eastern Africa's Expedition to the Southern Sudan, headed by Patti Langton.

This object was worn around the neck during dances, sometimes with the long section hanging behind, sometimes in front. Langton did not record its local name. It has a similar shape to 1979.20.142, which is made of bushbuck skin, could be worn by both men and women, and is called nyamananyit.

A similar type of skin is worn around the loins by the Acholi during ceremonies and dances - See 1953.6.59 from Palabek, and another object now in Rome (Museo Preistorico ed Etnografico 'Luigi Pigorini' accession number 96031) (R. Boccassino, 1964, "Contributo allo studio dell’ ergologia delle popolazioni Nilotiche e Nilo-camitche. Parte quarta. Il vestito, il tatuaggio, le deformazioni del corpo, gli ornamenti e la circoncisione", Annali Lateranensi XXVIII, p. 147, fig 61).

Rachael Sparks 23/08/2005.

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 [p. 212] 1979.20.178 Dance collar of black and white fur. Similar to 1979.20.142. Sometimes the long piece is worn in front. Total L = ca. 81 cm. Coll. no. ∆30; cost £1.
Additional Accession Book Entry [below accession number in red biro] - A5-F36-8.

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

Pitt Rivers Museum label - AFRICA, SUDAN, Loryok SOUTHERN LARIM Fur dance collar Purch. P Langton, ∆30 1979.20.178 [EC 'DCF 2004-2006 What's Upstairs?' 6/10/2005]