Nah. They are WEST Africa and French. I think someone named Picard - not Jean Luc - already covered that.
Tanganyika became a British League of Nations mandate after WWI (1919) and Ruanda-Urundi went to Belgium. Uganda and Kenya were British colonies. Apparently, the Germans were out before the plastic in question was invented.
Hello Peter,
I'm not following the import of your comments.
Translucent phenolic plastics used to make imitation amber beads (from 1926 and later) are said to have been made in Germany, and are also said to have been brought into Africa by the French--and specifically through Morocco and Egypt.
However, all this is more anecdotal than historically documented. (As far as I know.)
I have no reason to believe these fake amber beads were in "German East Africa" sooner than elsewhere. And, in fact, I suspect the opposite.
In the 1970s, based on my observations, I suggested that oblate beads were more common in West Africa, and ellipsoidal beads more common in East Africa—and that the Eastern beads tended to be more often used as prayer beads, or in constructions that suggested a Muslim tradition.
If the designs on the beads you have shown were not burnt-in, how were they made?
Jamey
I was near the end of a more explanatory reply when my computer updated a program and closed on me without warning and I lost my text.
Given the development of plastic in general, of which I have no knowledge, it would appear that the Germans would not have brought the beads into East Africa since they lost it with WWI. The borders of those countries have changed since the following British and Belgian occupation then the UN mandate. You have answered that question. Thanks.
I discovered before first posting that the beads were not incised nor burned in. The decoration is a surface application with hints of a metallic with the red in some places where the remnants of decoration can be seen. Aside from 3 being matching cylindrical and a different shade and the others ovoid, there are internal streaks in the cylinders and 2 of the ovoids which have remnants of a probable different surface decoration. Then there is another 2 with what appears to be another surface decoration and yet another two. There is dimpling at the holes in some of the ovoids but not others. The last group of 6 with what appears to be another pattern decoration show both dimpling and non dimpling and some unevenly cut ends.
I haven't done specific gravity testing since my lapidary days and am obviously not familiar with amber since I never worked with it or used it.
So we have 5 groups in 15 beads! It would appear that 4 groups totaling 12 could be from a multi-patterned set which was well worn as jewelry. I have no idea as to the other three.
Now that we have somewhat determined the chemistry and age, the question remains as to what did they originally looked like? If they are indeed beads made in Europe and traded and worn in Africa, who wore them (as suggested by looking at old National Geographic magazines and what did they originally look like?
If you are as curious as I am, I'd be happy to send them to you for examination. I just hope they are beads; and the 3 are not of 4 from a 1930's Tonka-Truck-type toy and the others from fish floats or similar object!
I recommend my Group for studying amber beads at Yahoo. There is quite a lot of useful information there. The topic of plastic imitations is also considerably discussed.
JDA.
