Zande hat
Other views of this artifact:
Accession Number:
1948.2.160
Country:
Sudan
Region:
[Southern Sudan]
Cultural Group:
Zande
Date Made:
By 1930
Materials:
Palm Fibre Plant , Cane Plant
Process:
Basketry , Twill Woven , Wound , Bound , Stitched , Carved Polished Decorated Dyed
Dimensions:
Ht = 120, crown L = 127, W = 127, L across diagonal = 178; internal diam base = 185, external diam brim = 304; cross bar W = 9, fibre strip W = 2 mm [RTS 7/2/2005].
Weight:
71.9 g
Other Owners:
Probably collected by Evans-Pritchard himself during his fieldwork amongst the Zande, which took place during 1927, part of 1928 and 1929 and for several months during 1930 [CM; RTS 6/7/2004].
Field Collector:
Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard
PRM Source:
Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard
Acquired:
Found unentered February 1948
Collected Date:
1927 - 1930
Description:
Basketry hat consisting of a flat, square crown woven from narrow strips of yellow coloured palm fibre in a twill pattern of over 2, under 2.
This has been strengthened across the top with 2 narrow pieces of cane that cross over one another at the centre and have sharpened ends that have been pushed through each corner of the hat to hold them in place.
They have polished, convex upper surfaces and flat undersides, and are a yellow colour (Pantone 7508C).
The body of the hat becomes increasingly circular below the crown, with the twill weave continuing for its upper part.
One third the way down the sides, this changes to a looser weave, in which vertical yellow and orangey yellow strips (Pantone 7508C and Pantone 728C) are contrasted with horizontal strips that have been dyed a dark brown colour (Pantone Black 7C).
The vertical strips largely run down the inside face of the hat, while the brown strips overlay these on the outside face at right angles, with the two elements sewn together using a fine fibre thread, also dyed dark brown, with oblique stitching.
This creates a dark brown band that runs around the lower part of the hat.
A simple geometric motif is picked out at the centre of each side in yellow, where the horizontal and vertical strips temporarily change places from front to inside face, and vice versa; This consists of 2 vertical zigzags framing a central lozenge.
A broad brim has been added to the base of the body, that turns out at right angles to it.
This is made up of several elements.
The vertical palm fibre strips turn and splay outwards towards the brim edge.
On the upper face, thin strips of flexible cane or fibre have been woven around the hat in a continuing spiral.
These are then bound to the underlying frame using further fibre strips that wind obliquely around both parts.
This creates an upper surface that is slightly ridged, and a flatter underside.
The style of binding changes slightly at the outer edge to allow the loose ends to be woven in place.
The hat is complete, but has some damage at the corners of the crown and on one side of this where there is a small hole and some broken fibre strips.
It has been fairly well finished, except for some parts of the interior where loose fibre ends have been left protruding rather than being woven back into the body of the hat.
It has a weight of 71.9 grams and is 120 mm high.
The crown measures 127 by 127 mm along its sides, and 178 mm diagonally across from corner to corner; the internal diameter of the base is 185 mm, while the external diameter of the brim measures 304 mm across.
The cross bars are 9 mm wide and the fibre strips have a width of 2 mm.
Probably collected by Evans-Pritchard himself during his fieldwork amongst the Zande, which took place during 1927, part of 1928 and 1929 and for several months during 1930.
Evans-Pritchard discusses hats in his book on the Zande; his comments refer to the situation back in 1926-1930, when he conducted his fieldwork amongst this group: “In sketches by early travellers Azande men are shown wearing straw hats. Schweinfurth describes them as using ‘a cylindrical hat without any brim, square at the top and always ornamented with a waving plume of feathers; the hat is fastened on by large hair-pins, made either of iron, copper, or ivory, and tipped with crescents, tridents, knobs and various other devices [ In the Heart of Africa II, p. 8; This type of hat is depicted being worn at the top of the head, see vol. I p. 439]. The same kind of cylindrical, brimless straw hat was still worn in 1906 when Gezer visited the Azande of Tembura’s kingdom and of the old kingdom of Ezo. This is the old Mbomu hat, called kutuku , and some of the older men still keep to a version of it. The hat which is today fashionable, and has been for some years, is of much the same shape but with two new features: black lateral patterns, often wavy lines, and a broad brim, the first being copied from the Mangbetu and the second from the earliest Europeans” (E.E. Evans-Pritchard, 1971, The Azande, pp 70-71). This latter type is the style represented by 1948.2.160. Brock stated that Zande hats were worn from greenish white split grass, being round at the base and square at the top, with patterns around the top in blackened grass. He suggests that the presence or absence of brims was according to fashion, which also determined how the hat's feathers were arranged (R.G.C. Brock, 1918, "Some Notes of the Zande Tribe as Found in the Meridi District", Sudan Notes and Records 1, p. 254).
This hat has a wider base diameter than many contemporary brimless varieties used by the Zande, and may have been worn lower down on the head; similar hats are illustrated in E.E. Evans-Pritchard, 1937, Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic among the Azande, pls V, VII, IX and XXV.
Rachael Sparks 19/08/2005.
Probably collected by Evans-Pritchard himself during his fieldwork amongst the Zande, which took place during 1927, part of 1928 and 1929 and for several months during 1930.
Evans-Pritchard discusses hats in his book on the Zande; his comments refer to the situation back in 1926-1930, when he conducted his fieldwork amongst this group: “In sketches by early travellers Azande men are shown wearing straw hats. Schweinfurth describes them as using ‘a cylindrical hat without any brim, square at the top and always ornamented with a waving plume of feathers; the hat is fastened on by large hair-pins, made either of iron, copper, or ivory, and tipped with crescents, tridents, knobs and various other devices [ In the Heart of Africa II, p. 8; This type of hat is depicted being worn at the top of the head, see vol. I p. 439]. The same kind of cylindrical, brimless straw hat was still worn in 1906 when Gezer visited the Azande of Tembura’s kingdom and of the old kingdom of Ezo. This is the old Mbomu hat, called kutuku , and some of the older men still keep to a version of it. The hat which is today fashionable, and has been for some years, is of much the same shape but with two new features: black lateral patterns, often wavy lines, and a broad brim, the first being copied from the Mangbetu and the second from the earliest Europeans” (E.E. Evans-Pritchard, 1971, The Azande, pp 70-71). This latter type is the style represented by 1948.2.160. Brock stated that Zande hats were worn from greenish white split grass, being round at the base and square at the top, with patterns around the top in blackened grass. He suggests that the presence or absence of brims was according to fashion, which also determined how the hat's feathers were arranged (R.G.C. Brock, 1918, "Some Notes of the Zande Tribe as Found in the Meridi District", Sudan Notes and Records 1, p. 254).
This hat has a wider base diameter than many contemporary brimless varieties used by the Zande, and may have been worn lower down on the head; similar hats are illustrated in E.E. Evans-Pritchard, 1937, Witchcraft, Oracles and Magic among the Azande, pls V, VII, IX and XXV.
Rachael Sparks 19/08/2005.
Primary Documentation:
Accession Book Entry
[p.
264] - E.
E.
EVANS-PRITCHARD, INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY, OXFORD.
Found unentered; collected by donor.
[p, 268] 1948.2.160-161 - ZANDE.
[1 of] Two plaited straw hats, cross-shaped stiffeners on crown, each has geometrical pattern in black and white round crown.
Broad brim.
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the catalogue card [RTS 2/2/2004].
Old Pitt Rivers Museum label - ZANDE, 1948.2.160, d.d. Evans-Pritchard [ink, front] ZANDE [pencil, reverse; large brown luggage label, tied to object; RTS 7/2/2005].
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the catalogue card [RTS 2/2/2004].
Old Pitt Rivers Museum label - ZANDE, 1948.2.160, d.d. Evans-Pritchard [ink, front] ZANDE [pencil, reverse; large brown luggage label, tied to object; RTS 7/2/2005].
