Zande rat trap
Other views of this artifact:
Accession Number:
1931.59.4
Country:
Sudan
Region:
[Southern Sudan] Uele District
Cultural Group:
Zande
Date Made:
By 1930
Materials:
Cane Plant
Process:
Basketry
Dimensions:
L = 690 mm, W opening = 95 mm, Th opening = 75 mm, W body = 33.5 mm, Th body = 29 mm, diam point = 6 mm; W strips = 4 mm [RTS 6/7/2004].
Weight:
16.9 g
Local Name:
ngbatu?
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:
Donated 1931
Collected Date:
1927 - 1930
Description:
Rat trap consisting of a flexible, tubular, elongated body with oval mouth that gradually tapers to a point at the other end.
This has been made by taking 10 long strips of flat cane, 4 mm wide, and weaving them loosely together into an open bias (e.g.: diagonal) checkweave, leaving diamond-shaped openings down the sides that allow the prey to see the bait inside the trap.
The loose end of each strip has been bent over and woven into the pattern, forming a third vertical element that serves as a strut to strengthen the mouth of the trap and creating hexagonal shaped openings on this upper part.
These ends extend around 160 mm below the mouth opening, which is equivalent to 16 rows of weave.
They would also act as a one-way barrier, allowing the animal to enter the trap but catching against its body and preventing its egress if it tried to back out again.
This weave changes halfway along the length of these turned over ends, 60 mm or 4 rows below the opening, where each cane strip has been split into two thinner, 2 mm wide sections which are then woven into the pattern as separate strands.
These are tightly woven for the first 20 mm, then become looser; they are gathered into a point at the base of the object, where one or more of the ends has been wound tightly around the body to secure it.
The trap is complete, with a few frayed edges on the cane strips; there are black ink stains on the binding around the point and on the mouth.
The cane is a pale yellowish brown colour (Pantone ).
The trap has a length of 690 mm, measures 95 by 75 mm across the mouth opening, 33.5 by 29 mm across the body and 6 mm across the point, with a weight is 16.9 grams.
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.
The Zande appear to use two different types of rat trap; a rigid variety with thorns set inside the mouth (see also 1931.59.1-3), and a flexible trap without thorns, as here (see 1931.59.5). Evans-Pritchard was probably referring to these two types when he commented that "the funnel-shaped baskets used to trap mice ( ngbatu ) are of two kinds, the one Mbomu and the other Miangba" (E.E. Evans-Pritchard, 1963 "A Further Contribution to the Study of Zande Culture", Africa 33.3, p. 191), although it is not clear which of these types is represented here. The Lotuko also use a similar style of rigid trap (see 1946.3.16), while Schweinfurth describes Bongo boys using similar basketry tubes to catch rats and field mice, as a source of food, or to use as bait in catching cats (G. Schweinfurth, 1873, The Heart of Africa Vol. 1, pp 273-4).
Illustrated with a line drawing in the leaflet Basketry in The Pitt Rivers Museum, devised by Felicity Wood with the Oxfordshire Basketmakers, 2001. It is also featured on the website http://basket.prm.ox.ac.uk/.
Currently on display in the Upper Gallery, case 51A.
Rachael Sparks 27/8/2005.
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.
The Zande appear to use two different types of rat trap; a rigid variety with thorns set inside the mouth (see also 1931.59.1-3), and a flexible trap without thorns, as here (see 1931.59.5). Evans-Pritchard was probably referring to these two types when he commented that "the funnel-shaped baskets used to trap mice ( ngbatu ) are of two kinds, the one Mbomu and the other Miangba" (E.E. Evans-Pritchard, 1963 "A Further Contribution to the Study of Zande Culture", Africa 33.3, p. 191), although it is not clear which of these types is represented here. The Lotuko also use a similar style of rigid trap (see 1946.3.16), while Schweinfurth describes Bongo boys using similar basketry tubes to catch rats and field mice, as a source of food, or to use as bait in catching cats (G. Schweinfurth, 1873, The Heart of Africa Vol. 1, pp 273-4).
Illustrated with a line drawing in the leaflet Basketry in The Pitt Rivers Museum, devised by Felicity Wood with the Oxfordshire Basketmakers, 2001. It is also featured on the website http://basket.prm.ox.ac.uk/.
Currently on display in the Upper Gallery, case 51A.
Rachael Sparks 27/8/2005.
Primary Documentation:
Accession Book Entry
[IX, p.
8] 1931 [insert, in pencil] 59 [end insert] -
E.
E.
EVANS-PRITCHARD
, Esq.
[in pencil] 4-5 - [1 of] 2 Very similar rat-traps, but flexible & with the returning ends of the cane strips forming a barrier to egress.
The framework gives & expands while a rat is pushing its way in, but contracts under tension if it tries to back out of the tube, & so grips the beast tightly.
Same data [AZANDE, WELLE district, E.
SUDAN].
Additional Accession Book Entry [p. 7] - 1931.59.4 number given MdeA [red biro] A22.F5.31-32.
Card Catalogue Entry - [insert] A22.F5.31-32 [end insert]. E. SUDAN, WELLE DISTRICT, AZANDE. 2 openwork tubular basketry rat-traps, flexible with the returning ends of the cane-strips forming a barrier to egress. The framework gives and expands while a rat is pushing its way in, but contracts under tension if it tries to back out of the tube, and so grips the beast tightly. d.d. E.E. Evans-Pritchard, 1931.
Old Pitt Rivers Museum label - [front] Flexible tubular rat-trap, which contracts under tension. AZANDE, WELLE dist., E. SUDAN. Pres. by E. Evans Pritchard, 1931 [back] 1931.59.4 [rectangular metal-edged tag, with circular red sticker on back indicating object has been photographed; label not kept with object, RTS 13/1/2004]; Sudan Azande 1931.59.4 [small circular metal edged tag, tied to object 6/7/2004].
Additional Accession Book Entry [p. 7] - 1931.59.4 number given MdeA [red biro] A22.F5.31-32.
Card Catalogue Entry - [insert] A22.F5.31-32 [end insert]. E. SUDAN, WELLE DISTRICT, AZANDE. 2 openwork tubular basketry rat-traps, flexible with the returning ends of the cane-strips forming a barrier to egress. The framework gives and expands while a rat is pushing its way in, but contracts under tension if it tries to back out of the tube, and so grips the beast tightly. d.d. E.E. Evans-Pritchard, 1931.
Old Pitt Rivers Museum label - [front] Flexible tubular rat-trap, which contracts under tension. AZANDE, WELLE dist., E. SUDAN. Pres. by E. Evans Pritchard, 1931 [back] 1931.59.4 [rectangular metal-edged tag, with circular red sticker on back indicating object has been photographed; label not kept with object, RTS 13/1/2004]; Sudan Azande 1931.59.4 [small circular metal edged tag, tied to object 6/7/2004].
Display History:
Current display label - AFRICA, EASTERN SUDAN, WELLE; AZANDE.
Openwork, flexible, tubular basketry rat-trap.
The returning ends of the cane strips formed a barrier to egress.
The framework gave and expanded while a rat was pushing its way in, but contracted under tension if it tried to back out and gripped the animal tightly.
Collected and donated by E.E.
Evans-Pritchard.
1931.59.4 [in case U.51.A, RTS 4/6/2004].
Publication History:
Illustrated with a line drawing in the leaflet 'Basketry in The Pitt Rivers Museum', devised by Felicity Wood with the Oxfordshire Basketmakers, 2001.
It is also featured on the website http://basket.prm.ox.ac.uk/ [JN 14/11/2001]; but when the page was visited on 6/11/2003, this image did not appear to be present [RTS 6/11/2003].
