Post: Post Reply: Decorated phenolic beads by petmit

Original Message: Decorated phenolic beads

Thanks to all who commented! I need to point out the decoration is surface, and NOT incised/burned in. If Jamey is correct about German-made in the 1930's, I would like to add that German East Africa, now Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, would have been the likely market and a good bribe with the winds of war. As a non-practicing anthropologist, I can see that what is left of some design may mimic a kraal, a logical motif for a semi-nomadic herding people, like the Masai, of that area. I suggest everyone run to those "National Geographic" magazines of that period and look for pictures of the stereotypical Masai warrior, standing on one leg with the other foot at the knee, wearing his beads and mane headdress while guarding his cattle! As a child, the "National Geographic" was almost a sacred book, poured over again and again with stern admonitions about dog-earing pages or cutting out pictures - and never thrown away. I will always wonder how many attics collapsed under their weight! Now, I will Google Masai and look for beads! Peter Copyright 2024
All rights reserved by Bead Collector Network and its users

Original Message: Decorated phenolic beads
Thanks to all who commented! I need to point out the decoration is surface, and NOT incised/burned in. If Jamey is correct about German-made in the 1930's, I would like to add that German East Africa, now Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, would have been the likely market and a good bribe with the winds of war. As a non-practicing anthropologist, I can see that what is left of some design may mimic a kraal, a logical motif for a semi-nomadic herding people, like the Masai, of that area. I suggest everyone run to those "National Geographic" magazines of that period and look for pictures of the stereotypical Masai warrior, standing on one leg with the other foot at the knee, wearing his beads and mane headdress while guarding his cattle! As a child, the "National Geographic" was almost a sacred book, poured over again and again with stern admonitions about dog-earing pages or cutting out pictures - and never thrown away. I will always wonder how many attics collapsed under their weight! Now, I will Google Masai and look for beads! Peter Copyright 2024 All rights reserved by Bead Collector Network and its users

Back Post Reply

Name
  Register

Password

E-Mail

Subject

Private Reply   Make all replies private

Message
HTML tags allowed in message body. Browser view     Display HTML as text.

Link URL

Link Title

Image URL

Attachment file (<256 kb)

Attachment file (<256 kb)