Nuer headrest
Other views of this artifact:
Accession Number:
1932.30.1
Country:
Sudan
Cultural Group:
Nuer
Date Made:
By 1931
Materials:
Wood Plant
Process:
Carved , Polished
Dimensions:
Ht = 180, seat L = 332, seat W = 26, seat th = 17.7; leg diam = 19 to 21.5 mm [RTS 2/6/2005].
Weight:
196.6 g
Local Name:
köm
Field Collector:
Charles Armine Willis
PRM Source:
Charles Armine Willis
Acquired:
Donated 1932
Collected Date:
1931
Description:
Headrest carved from a single piece of yellow wood (Pantone 729C).
This is an example of 'found form', with a naturally grown branch specifically chosen because its shape, with subsidiary branches coming off the main stem to form the three feet, was suitable for making a headrest.
It consists of a narrow horizontal seat across the top, carved to a point at either end, with one end tapering more than the other, possibly to suggest the 'head' and 'tail' of a stylised animal.
The seat has been flattened across the top but has a convex underside.
Three narrower branches extend from the underside to form the legs; the front leg is almost vertical, while the other 2 legs are positioned near the back of the stool and splay out in opposite directions, with rounded bases.
None of the legs are entirely straight, and the central leg has a marked curve along its length.
The headrest is complete, but damaged in places; the wood has begun to split along the seat and down one leg, while the back leg has lost some of its surface.
It has a weight of 196.6 grams and is 180 mm high; the seat is 332 mm long, 26 mm wide and 17.7 mm thick, while the legs have a diameter of from 21.5 to 19 mm.
Collected by Charles Armine Willis in 1931 from the Western Nuer. He does not record the local name for the object, but Evans-Pritchard identifies a similar object as a köm (see 1937.34.49), although he also uses this term for Anuak examples (see 1936.10.55-6).
Objects like these were used by men to protect their elaborate hairstyles. Willis described the Nuer practice of covering their hair with a paste made of clay, cow dung and urine, and then shaping it into the desired style, such as a cock's comb, or a peak at front or back. This treatment gradually wears off, staining the hair a reddish colour, and then the hair needs to be redone. Domville-Fife describes a similar process for the Shilluk in some detail, although amongst that group hair is dressed by a specialist barber, and is a costly process (C.W. Domville Fife, 1927, Savage Life in the Black Sudan, pp 71-76).
This type of lightweight headrest, made from a tree branch, is made by a number of Nilotic groups; for further Nuer examples, see 1917.25.39-40, 1931.66.17-18, 1936.10.56, 1937.34.49, 1948.2.128; for Dinka examples, see 1934.8.17, and for examples from the Anuak, see 1936.10.55.
Rachael Sparks 22/08/2005.
Collected by Charles Armine Willis in 1931 from the Western Nuer. He does not record the local name for the object, but Evans-Pritchard identifies a similar object as a köm (see 1937.34.49), although he also uses this term for Anuak examples (see 1936.10.55-6).
Objects like these were used by men to protect their elaborate hairstyles. Willis described the Nuer practice of covering their hair with a paste made of clay, cow dung and urine, and then shaping it into the desired style, such as a cock's comb, or a peak at front or back. This treatment gradually wears off, staining the hair a reddish colour, and then the hair needs to be redone. Domville-Fife describes a similar process for the Shilluk in some detail, although amongst that group hair is dressed by a specialist barber, and is a costly process (C.W. Domville Fife, 1927, Savage Life in the Black Sudan, pp 71-76).
This type of lightweight headrest, made from a tree branch, is made by a number of Nilotic groups; for further Nuer examples, see 1917.25.39-40, 1931.66.17-18, 1936.10.56, 1937.34.49, 1948.2.128; for Dinka examples, see 1934.8.17, and for examples from the Anuak, see 1936.10.55.
Rachael Sparks 22/08/2005.
Primary Documentation:
Accession Book Entry
[p.
72] 1932 [insert, in pencil] 30 [end insert]
C.
ARMINE WILLIS,
Esq.
- Specimens collected by himself in the EASTERN SUDAN, viz.
[insert, pencil] 1-2 [end insert] - [One of] 2 wooden head-rests, NUER tribe, WESTERN KORDOFAN, 1931.
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the tribes catalogue card [RTS 23/7/2004].
Pitt Rivers Museum label - AFRICA, Sudan, Western Kordofan, Nuer tribe. Wooden headrest. Coll. C.A. Willis 1931, don. 1932. 1932.30.1 [plastic coated label, tied to object; RTS 31/5/2005].
Written on object - Head-rest, Western NUER, E. SUDAN. Collected in 1931 & presd 1932 by C.A. Willis [RTS 31/5/2005].
Related Documents File - This item appears on typewritten list RDF 1932.30.1-15, under list item 4: 'Two Nuer pillows, of wood. The Nuer youths, dress their hair, or get their girl friends to dress it for them. The hair is covered with a paste of clay, cow dung and urine, and then shaped to the fancy of the designer, sometimes into a cock's comb, sometimes into a peak in front or behind. The cake gradually wears away, and the hair is stained a reddish colour, and this gradually dies down, and the hair is ready for re-dressing. To protect the shape, the wearer sleeps with his head supported on a wooden pillow. Collected in 1931, [insert] Western Nuer [end insert]'.
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the tribes catalogue card [RTS 23/7/2004].
Pitt Rivers Museum label - AFRICA, Sudan, Western Kordofan, Nuer tribe. Wooden headrest. Coll. C.A. Willis 1931, don. 1932. 1932.30.1 [plastic coated label, tied to object; RTS 31/5/2005].
Written on object - Head-rest, Western NUER, E. SUDAN. Collected in 1931 & presd 1932 by C.A. Willis [RTS 31/5/2005].
Related Documents File - This item appears on typewritten list RDF 1932.30.1-15, under list item 4: 'Two Nuer pillows, of wood. The Nuer youths, dress their hair, or get their girl friends to dress it for them. The hair is covered with a paste of clay, cow dung and urine, and then shaped to the fancy of the designer, sometimes into a cock's comb, sometimes into a peak in front or behind. The cake gradually wears away, and the hair is stained a reddish colour, and this gradually dies down, and the hair is ready for re-dressing. To protect the shape, the wearer sleeps with his head supported on a wooden pillow. Collected in 1931, [insert] Western Nuer [end insert]'.
