Zande barkcloth sheet
Accession Number:
1948.2.166
Country:
Sudan
Region:
[Southern Sudan]
Cultural Group:
Zande
Date Made:
By 1930
Materials:
Bark Cloth Textile Plant
Process:
Beaten
Dimensions:
Max L = 1680, W = 805 to 1055; th = 1.5 mm [RTS 19/7/2005].
Weight:
569.5 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. Found unentered in February 1948; note that other Zande barkcloth collected by Ev
Field Collector:
Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard
PRM Source:
Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard
Acquired:
Found unentered February 1948
Collected Date:
1927 - 1930
Description:
Roughly rectangular sheet of beaten barkcloth made from orangey brown bark fibre (Pantone 730C), that has darker edges and a large lighter coloured circle at the centre of the piece, with part of a similar circle adjacent to it; it is not clear if this pattern is deliberate.
One end of the sheet is broader than the other.
The inside face is covered with a lattice of impressed squares, made by the crosshatched head of the beater; these appear as small bumps on the opposite side.
The sheet is complete, with some surface wear and holes, plus a few more regular sized holes that may relate to some former method of pinning or displaying the object.
There is a long fold along the centre, and a number of smaller folds at right angles to this, showing where the piece had formerly been folded into a small rectangle.
The barkcloth has a weight of 569.5 grams, and a maximum length of 1680 mm, a width that ranges from 805 to 1055 mm and thickness of 1.5 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 reviews the history of use of barkcloth amongst the Zande, using reports of early travellers such as Schweinfurth, Junker and Casati. These suggest that the Zande used skins as their primary clothing, with barkcloth being something of a luxury, introduced through contacts with groups to the south; by the time Evans-Pritchard did his fieldwork amongst the Zande in 1926-1930, the use of barkcloth had become ‘universal’. It was supposedly made from the fig tree, or roko (Evans-Pritchard 1971, The Azande, pp 79-85). According to Larken, barkcloth manufacture was not a specialised profession, but something 'practised by all' (P.M. Larken, 1926, "An Account of the Zande", Sudan Notes and Records IX no. 1, p. 10). He describes the process as follows: "During the rains, about July, two horizontal cuts are made round the stem four or five feet apart, a perpendicular one joining them. The bark is loosened and removed in a single piece. The outer skin is scraped away with a knife, and the dark brown fibrous remainder beaten on a log with a wata. This is usually the point of a small tusk about a foot long. The pointed end is used as a handle, the other, of which the face has been scored with a series of closely-crossing lines to a depth of about the tenth of an inch, as a stamp, the bark, lying on the log, being punched all over with it. The process is gradual, and not too much force may be employed. The fibres become spread out and the thickness of the substance reduced, though somewhat unevenly so. The resulting cloth when dry is of a light reddish brown colour, harsh in texture, and bearing throughout its not very long life the marks of the corrugations on the face of the wata. If the tree is so small that the strip of cloth is not big enough for its destined purpose, other strips are sewn on to the first with fibre. The cloth may be dyed black by immersion in the mud of a stream, where chips and pieces of the wood of a banga tree have been placed. Parti-coloured garments of black and brown are often noticed" (Larken op.cit. pp 34-35). Brock also describes barkcloth manufacture, adding that the bark is "prepared with oil" and "... either left in its natural yellowish brown colour or dyed red or black according to the fashion of the moment. Great care is taken in the correct wearing of the rokko with respect to its folds and which side overlaps the other. It is held round the body by a belt and drawn up between the legs, the ends either being carried right up to the arm pits or turned down over the thighs. The fig tree from which the bark is taken is found in most mens' villages and they always plant cuttings from the trees when starting a new village' (R.G.C. Brock, "Some Notes on the Zande Tribe as Found in the Meridi District", Sudan Notes and News 1, 1918, 254).
For Zande beaters, of the type used to produce barkcloth, see 1934.8.125-6, 1931.66.15 and possibly 1927.54.61.
Rachael Sparks 29/7/2005.
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 reviews the history of use of barkcloth amongst the Zande, using reports of early travellers such as Schweinfurth, Junker and Casati. These suggest that the Zande used skins as their primary clothing, with barkcloth being something of a luxury, introduced through contacts with groups to the south; by the time Evans-Pritchard did his fieldwork amongst the Zande in 1926-1930, the use of barkcloth had become ‘universal’. It was supposedly made from the fig tree, or roko (Evans-Pritchard 1971, The Azande, pp 79-85). According to Larken, barkcloth manufacture was not a specialised profession, but something 'practised by all' (P.M. Larken, 1926, "An Account of the Zande", Sudan Notes and Records IX no. 1, p. 10). He describes the process as follows: "During the rains, about July, two horizontal cuts are made round the stem four or five feet apart, a perpendicular one joining them. The bark is loosened and removed in a single piece. The outer skin is scraped away with a knife, and the dark brown fibrous remainder beaten on a log with a wata. This is usually the point of a small tusk about a foot long. The pointed end is used as a handle, the other, of which the face has been scored with a series of closely-crossing lines to a depth of about the tenth of an inch, as a stamp, the bark, lying on the log, being punched all over with it. The process is gradual, and not too much force may be employed. The fibres become spread out and the thickness of the substance reduced, though somewhat unevenly so. The resulting cloth when dry is of a light reddish brown colour, harsh in texture, and bearing throughout its not very long life the marks of the corrugations on the face of the wata. If the tree is so small that the strip of cloth is not big enough for its destined purpose, other strips are sewn on to the first with fibre. The cloth may be dyed black by immersion in the mud of a stream, where chips and pieces of the wood of a banga tree have been placed. Parti-coloured garments of black and brown are often noticed" (Larken op.cit. pp 34-35). Brock also describes barkcloth manufacture, adding that the bark is "prepared with oil" and "... either left in its natural yellowish brown colour or dyed red or black according to the fashion of the moment. Great care is taken in the correct wearing of the rokko with respect to its folds and which side overlaps the other. It is held round the body by a belt and drawn up between the legs, the ends either being carried right up to the arm pits or turned down over the thighs. The fig tree from which the bark is taken is found in most mens' villages and they always plant cuttings from the trees when starting a new village' (R.G.C. Brock, "Some Notes on the Zande Tribe as Found in the Meridi District", Sudan Notes and News 1, 1918, 254).
For Zande beaters, of the type used to produce barkcloth, see 1934.8.125-6, 1931.66.15 and possibly 1927.54.61.
Rachael Sparks 29/7/2005.
Primary Documentation:
Accession Book Entry
[p.
264] - E.
E.
EVANS-PRITCHARD, INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY, OXFORD.
Found unentered; collected by donor.
[p, 269] 1948.2.166.
?NUER
[insert] AZANDE [end insert] Strip of bark-cloth, 6' x 2'.9".
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the catalogue card [RTS 2/2/2004].
Pitt Rivers Museum label - SUDAN, AZANDE. Coll. & d.d. Prof. E. E. Evans-Pritchard 1948.2.166 [MdeA 21/6/2005, stored in RDF file]; PITT RIVERS MUSEUM. AFRICA, SUDAN; ZANDE. Barkcloth. Don. E.E. Evans-Pritchard. 1948.2.166 [textile label, sewn onto corner; RTS 19/7/2005].
Card Catalogue Entry - There is no further information on the catalogue card [RTS 2/2/2004].
Pitt Rivers Museum label - SUDAN, AZANDE. Coll. & d.d. Prof. E. E. Evans-Pritchard 1948.2.166 [MdeA 21/6/2005, stored in RDF file]; PITT RIVERS MUSEUM. AFRICA, SUDAN; ZANDE. Barkcloth. Don. E.E. Evans-Pritchard. 1948.2.166 [textile label, sewn onto corner; RTS 19/7/2005].
