Staff / Artist Unknown, African, Ndebele peoples South Africa
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 2001/2.46
- Title
- Staff
- Artist Nationality
- South Africa
- Medium and Support
- wood with beads
- Object Creation Place
- Africa (continent)
- South Africa (nation)
- Creation Place 1
- Africa (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- South Africa (nation)
- Credit Line
- Gift of Margaret H. and Albert J. Coudron
- Dimensions
- 124.5 cm x 8 cm x 6 cm (49 in. x 3 1/8 in. x 2 3/8 in.)
- Primary Object Classification
- Costume and Costume Accessory
- Primary Object Type
- staff
- Physical Description
- A wooden staff, covered with beads in solid colors (red, blue, green and orange) outlined in black against a background of white beads, with a sideways M pattern in the middle of the shaft on either side. A stylized head of open beadwork tops the staff, followed by a tight-fitting necklace-like band with a clasp in orange and green and a white band, above solid red and blue rings.
- Subject Matter
- The colors and design of the staff are the same as those seen on much of the beadwork and murals made by Ndebele women of the Transvaal region in Southern Africa, with solid colors outlined in black, organized in geometric motifs that are arranged symmetrically. At the turn of the 19th century, Ndebele women turned to the art of beadwork as a way to assert their ethnic identity in the face of forced displacement and oppression by the South African government. Since the 1970s, a new policy of forced displacements of Ndebele people has led to a great decline in the production of beadwork. Previously, beaded staffs were danced at weddings and also appeared at initiation ceremonies. The red and blue rings near the top of this particular staff are miniature versions of jewelry known as "cholwane" that women wear on their limbs and as neckrings.
- Secondary Keywords
- ceremonial weapons
- descriptors
- object genres
- object genres by material
- objects we use
- weapons
- weapons and ammunition
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 832 x 1504
- File Size
- 100 KB
- Record
- 2001/2.46
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2001-sl-2.46/2001_2.46.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
- In public portfolios
IIIF
- Manifest
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/musart:2001-SL-2.46:2001_2.46.JPG
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Staff; Artist Unknown, African, Ndebele peoples South Africa." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2001-sl-2.46/2001_2.46.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 19, 2024.
