necklace (neck ornament (personal adornment))

Circular iron necklace with a twisted iron pendant. The necklace represents a breast, and the pendant a nipple. This one was produced in Bawa, and made by a Lkunono blackmith named Lekimencu.

Necklaces of this type are worn by women who want to have lots of children. It would have been bought by the husband, and given to his wife. If the wife has a baby as a result of this necklace, she must give one cow that is in milk to the blacksmith's wife. She has a strong relationship with the blacksmith's wife who can, at that moment, ask for anything she wants, and she must have it.

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
1972.61
Date
1940s
PLACE
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
overall: 189 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
iron
CATEGORY
Anthropology: Ethnography
LOCATION
In storage
SHAREABLE LINK

Continue exploring anthropology

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk