cowrie shells, off-white, doubled; 7 strands (several re-attached at Museum); maximum length 117 cm.
Donor:
Joan Wescott
Collection place:
Nigeria
Verbatim coll. place:
Africa; Nigeria; Yoruba attr.
Culture or time period:
Yoruba
Collector:
Joan Wescott
Collection date:
unknown
Materials:
Cotton (textile) and Shell (animal material)
Object type:
ethnography
Function:
5.0 Use not specified (Ritual, Pageantry, and Recreation)
Accession date:
July 25, 1989
Context of use:
May have come off an 'ibeji' or a figure. None of the Wescott fotos of 'ibejis' with massive strands of cowries match the ones she donated to the Lowie. One field foto of a female 'ibeji' with many cowries (photocopy in acc. env.) shows one not in our collection.
Department:
Africa (except Ancient Egypt)
Dimensions:
length 117 centimeters
Comment:
loose strands re-attached with cotton string in Museum November 1990. No attempt was made to duplicate the correct stringing or to guess where to re-attach loose strands.