Acholi decorative panel
Other views of this artifact:
Accession Number:
1998.9.20
Country:
Uganda , [Sudan]
Region:
Masindi District Kibanda County Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement [Southern Sudan]
Cultural Group:
Acholi?
Maker:
Veronica Lanyero
Date Made:
By 1997
Materials:
Plant Fibre Textile , Wool Yarn Animal , Cotton Yarn Plant
Process:
Embroidered , Woven , Chequer Woven , Recycled
Dimensions:
Total L = 500, W = 490 mm; actual image L = 465, W = 460 mm [RTS 22/2/2005].
Weight:
115.3 g
Other Owners:
Made by Veronica Lanyero, sold by the Imotong Women's Group to Tania Kaiser in 1997 for 5,000 Ugandan Shillings; purchased by PRM on 19th January 1998
Field Collector:
Tania Kaiser
PRM Source:
Tania Kaiser
Acquired:
Purchased 19 January 1998
Collected Date:
1997
Description:
Piece of light brown coloured hessian (Pantone 465C), recycled from a sack with a loosely woven checkweave pattern of over 1, under 1.
This has been cut into a rough square, with one finished edge; one edge adjacent to this has been sewn across using a loose tacking stitch in a fine, twisted olive green cotton thread, presumably to prevent the edge pulling (Pantone 451C).
The other two edges have not been finished off.
All 3 of these edges have fringes where the warp or weft of the hessian have been exposed, something that may have been done deliberately to create a soft frame around the design.
A square picture has been embroidered onto the upper surface of the backing material; this is not completely centred, so that 2 sides extend right to the fringed edge of the sacking, while the other 2 sides have a bordering hessian strip of between 13 and 20 mm before the fringe begins.
The picture is formed from cross-stitching in brightly coloured 4-ply wool, onto a yellow background (Pantone 7402C).
The base of the design is formed by a narrow, horizontal brown ground line positioned about two-thirds the way down the scene (Pantone 725C).
There are 3 quadrupeds standing above this, with short tails, prominent ears and in one case, a pair of long horns; their bodies are brown with black outlines and black dots over their torsos (Pantone Black 6C), pale brown eyes (Pantone 726C) and red noses (Pantone 485C).
The central animal stands with its head upright, flanked by 2 other animals with their heads down as they graze.
A bright green wool has been used for 3 tufts of grass around this group (Pantone 3415C).
To the right of the animals there is a single tree with brown trunk and leaves in 2 shades of green (Pantone 3258C at edges and Pantone 323C at centre).
2 further grass tufts flank its base (Pantone 3258C), while 3 black fork-shaped motifs above the leaves probably represent birds.
The design is given a border of red triangles (Pantone 1797C) on a blue background (Pantone 287C).
The object is complete, although there is some fraying at the edges, with a few minor patches of dirt discolouration on the front.
There is also a major crease line running across the centre where it has been folded in two, and a less obvious crease at right angles to this where there has been a secondary fold.
It has a weight of 115.3 grams, and is 500 mm long and 490 mm wide, while the actual image measures 465 by 460 mm.
Made by Veronica Lanyero, sold by the Imotong Women's Group to Tania Kaiser in 1997 for 5,000 Ugandan Shillings; purchased by the Pitt Rivers Museum on 19th January 1998. The animals are said to be goats, but their spotted coats are more suggestive of other types of horned quadruped, possibly wild rather than domesticated.
These sorts of handicrafts are made either individually by women, to use, or as gifts, or by women's groups associated with churches or small local development projects, as was the case with this object. These tended to be sold within the community, and some women complained that they lacked the materials needed to carry out this kind of work.
For details of Kaiser's work in Uganda, see: T. Kaiser, 1999, Living in Limbo: Insecurity and the Settlement of Sudanese Refugees in Northern Uganda (Unpublished PhD); T. Kaiser, "Making Do and Making Beautiful: Recycling in an African Refugee Settlement", in: J. Coote, C. Morton and J. Nicholson (eds), Transformations, the Art of Recyclying, 44-47; T. Kaiser, 2000, UNHCR's Withdrawal from Kiryandongo: Anatomy of a Handover , New Issues in Refugee Research Working Paper No. 32, 1, 3.
Rachael Sparks 29/8/2005.
Made by Veronica Lanyero, sold by the Imotong Women's Group to Tania Kaiser in 1997 for 5,000 Ugandan Shillings; purchased by the Pitt Rivers Museum on 19th January 1998. The animals are said to be goats, but their spotted coats are more suggestive of other types of horned quadruped, possibly wild rather than domesticated.
These sorts of handicrafts are made either individually by women, to use, or as gifts, or by women's groups associated with churches or small local development projects, as was the case with this object. These tended to be sold within the community, and some women complained that they lacked the materials needed to carry out this kind of work.
For details of Kaiser's work in Uganda, see: T. Kaiser, 1999, Living in Limbo: Insecurity and the Settlement of Sudanese Refugees in Northern Uganda (Unpublished PhD); T. Kaiser, "Making Do and Making Beautiful: Recycling in an African Refugee Settlement", in: J. Coote, C. Morton and J. Nicholson (eds), Transformations, the Art of Recyclying, 44-47; T. Kaiser, 2000, UNHCR's Withdrawal from Kiryandongo: Anatomy of a Handover , New Issues in Refugee Research Working Paper No. 32, 1, 3.
Rachael Sparks 29/8/2005.
Primary Documentation:
Day book entry -
20/1[/98].
D[onation].
MdA.
[donor] TANIA KAISER.
1998.9.
AFRICA, UGANDA, MASINIDI DISTRICT, KIRYANDONGO REFUGEE SETTLEMENT.
Collection of objects collected by donor.
Accession entry ? - Panel of cross-stitching, which depicts goats (?) grazing, with a border of red and blue triangles. The background for the stitches is a piece of hessian from a food sack. [CW 1/4/98]
Related Documents File - RDF 1998.9: Acquisition Record, dated 19/1/1998, for 'collection of material from Uganda'. Memo dated 21/1/1998 from Jeremy Coote to Julia Cousins, dated 23/1/1998 regarding enclosed invoice for £150 from Tania Kaiser for 'collection of artefacts from Northern Uganda'. This object appears on an attached list as item 26: "Picture. Cross sticking on piece of hessian from a food sack. Made by Veronica Lanyero for Imotong Women's Group. Bought for 5,000 U[gandan]Sh[illings]". Purchased by the PRM for £8. There is an added, handwritten comment: "Goats". There is also a typed document on file, titled "Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, Masindi District, Uganda. Background to objects collected from a predominantly Sudanese Acholi community in 1997 by Tania Kaiser". The refugee settlement is described as being 14 kms from Kiryandongo town, near Bweyale and Nyakadot. The population is predominantly Acholi, but other groups represented there include Latuko, Madi, Bari and some Zande. There is a small market within the settlement itself, but many people go to the market at nearby Bweyale. Handcrafts are rarely sold in the settlement or in Bweyale in any systematic way. Most commonly made objects are embroidered tablecloths or bed sheets and crocheted food covers or chair backs; these tend to be produced individually by woman to use or as gifts, or by women's groups associated with churches or small local development projects, who sell them to members of the community; none so far have managed to establish an external market. Individual women complain that they are unable to undertake these sorts of activities as they do not have access to the necessary materials [RTS 15/12/2003].
Pitt Rivers Museum label - AFRICA, UGANDA, MASINDI DISTRICT; SUDANESE ACHOLI? Picture of cross-stitching on a hessian food sack. Coll. Tania Kaiser, 1997. 1998.9.20 [plastic object tag with metal eyelets, tied to object]; PITT RIVERS MUSEUM. AFRICA, UGANDA, MASINDI DISTRICT; SUDANESE ACHOLI. Picture of cross-stitching on a hessian food sack. Coll. T. Kaiser, 1997. 1998.9.20 [textile label, sewn onto object back; RTS 21/2/2005].
Accession entry ? - Panel of cross-stitching, which depicts goats (?) grazing, with a border of red and blue triangles. The background for the stitches is a piece of hessian from a food sack. [CW 1/4/98]
Related Documents File - RDF 1998.9: Acquisition Record, dated 19/1/1998, for 'collection of material from Uganda'. Memo dated 21/1/1998 from Jeremy Coote to Julia Cousins, dated 23/1/1998 regarding enclosed invoice for £150 from Tania Kaiser for 'collection of artefacts from Northern Uganda'. This object appears on an attached list as item 26: "Picture. Cross sticking on piece of hessian from a food sack. Made by Veronica Lanyero for Imotong Women's Group. Bought for 5,000 U[gandan]Sh[illings]". Purchased by the PRM for £8. There is an added, handwritten comment: "Goats". There is also a typed document on file, titled "Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, Masindi District, Uganda. Background to objects collected from a predominantly Sudanese Acholi community in 1997 by Tania Kaiser". The refugee settlement is described as being 14 kms from Kiryandongo town, near Bweyale and Nyakadot. The population is predominantly Acholi, but other groups represented there include Latuko, Madi, Bari and some Zande. There is a small market within the settlement itself, but many people go to the market at nearby Bweyale. Handcrafts are rarely sold in the settlement or in Bweyale in any systematic way. Most commonly made objects are embroidered tablecloths or bed sheets and crocheted food covers or chair backs; these tend to be produced individually by woman to use or as gifts, or by women's groups associated with churches or small local development projects, who sell them to members of the community; none so far have managed to establish an external market. Individual women complain that they are unable to undertake these sorts of activities as they do not have access to the necessary materials [RTS 15/12/2003].
Pitt Rivers Museum label - AFRICA, UGANDA, MASINDI DISTRICT; SUDANESE ACHOLI? Picture of cross-stitching on a hessian food sack. Coll. Tania Kaiser, 1997. 1998.9.20 [plastic object tag with metal eyelets, tied to object]; PITT RIVERS MUSEUM. AFRICA, UGANDA, MASINDI DISTRICT; SUDANESE ACHOLI. Picture of cross-stitching on a hessian food sack. Coll. T. Kaiser, 1997. 1998.9.20 [textile label, sewn onto object back; RTS 21/2/2005].
