Beaded animal hide with glass beads and fiber threads
23 x 10.25 x 1/2 in. (58.42 x 26.035 x 1.27 cm)
Bryn Mawr College
Accession Number:
99.5.38
84-38 (Neufeld Collection Number)
Geography:
Africa, Kenya
Classification:
Clothing and Adornments; Adornments
Culture/Nationality:
Turkana, Kenyan, East African, African
Collection:
Neufeld Collection
The ngakoromwa ngibolio, which can be translated as "beads with patterns," is a type of necklace worn exclusively by marriageable young Turkana women. The Turkana are a pastoralist ethnic group, who greatly emphasize body adornment. A famous Turkana saying states: “It’s the things that a woman wears that make her beautiful.”
As social status markers, the necklace’s decorations indicate a young women’s availability and are worn with allure and pride. Composed of animal hide and glass beads, the large panels of this multi-layered necklace were designed to be displayed on the wearer’s back. The three dominant colors – black, red, and white – may symbolize earth and wealth, blood and life force, and purity and innocence respectively.
Keywords
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African
- Refers to the cultures of the continent of Africa, which is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea.
beads
- Refers to small objects, of any shape or material, pierced so that they may be strung or hung or attached, as by sewing.
East African
- Styles and cultures of the eastern area of Africa including Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, that together with the Horn of Africa (Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Ethiopia) make up Eastern Africa.
jewelry
- Ornaments such as bracelets, necklaces, and rings, of precious or semiprecious materials worn or carried on the person for adornment; also includes similar articles worn or carried for devotional or mourning purposes.
necklaces
- Ornaments worn around the neck, usually in the form of chains or strands of beads, pearls, stones, or decorative or precious materials, and often including a suspended ornamental pendant. Use "chokers" for short, narrow necklaces worn close to the throat. Use "dog collars (necklaces)" for wide ornamental bands worn tightly around the neck.
Turkana
- The style and culture of an East African tribe living between Lake Rudolph and the Nile.
Additional Images
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99.5.38_BMC_f.jpg
Exhibition List
This object was included in the following exhibitions:
African Art in the Greater Philadelphia Area
The Community College of Philadelphia with a Grant from the William Penn Foundation
, 11/12/1999 - 12/17/1999
Journeys Through African Womanhood
Bryn Mawr College
, 2/14/2003 - 3/28/2003
Worlds to Discover: 125 Years of Collections at Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College
, 9/24/2010 - 5/28/2011
A Curious Group; a cabinet of curiosities
Bryn Mawr College
, 4/4/2014 - 6/30/2014
Provenance History
Owner Name: Mace Neufeld and Helen Katz Neufeld, Class of 1953
Role: Donor
Place: Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, US
Dates: 7/18/1991
Bibliography List
The following Bibliography exist for this object:
Marianne Hansen
and Emily Croll.
Worlds to Discover.
Bryn Mawr College.
Bryn Mawr, PA, 2010
Page Number: 31
Carrie Robbins
and Nathanael Roesch.
A Curious Group.
Bryn Mawr College.
Bryn Mawr, PA, April 4–June 1, 2014
Figure Number: Fauna 11
Comparanda List
The following Comparanda exist for this object:
Deborah Stokes,
"Rediscovered Treasures: African Beadwork at the Field Museum, Chicago."
African Arts
32, no. 3
(Autumn 1999):
28,
Figure Number: 15.
Angela Fisher,
Africa Adorned
(London, England: Collins Harvill, 1989),
43.
"African Heritage Document and Research Center."
(Accessed June 11, 2020):
AHDRC.eu.
Record No.: 0170284.
Related Bibliography List
The following Related Bibliography exist for this object:
Andrew Fedders
and Cynthia Salvadori.
Turkana, Pastoral Craftsmen
(Nairobi, Kenya: Transafrica Book Distributors in association with East African Literature Bureau, 1977),
V. Pante
and G. Mazza.
Turkana
(Turin, Italy: Stamperia Artistica Nazionale, ),
Deborah Stokes,
"Rediscovered Treasures: African Beadwork at the Field Museum, Chicago."
African Arts
32, no. 3
(Autumn 1999):
18-31, 91.
Portfolio List
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<ref name=BMC>cite web |url=http://triarte.brynmawr.edu/objects-1/info/145963 |title=Turkana Maiden’s Obolio (Necklace) |author=Bryn Mawr College Library Special Collections |accessdate=4/14/2021 |publisher=Bryn Mawr College</ref>
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