Four ornamental pins · D. R. Congo, Mangbetu · ID: 3045769
not available anymore
Provenance
Georges François Wtterwulghe, Belgian Commandant of the Lado Enclave, January 1903 - March 1904 (died 8 May 1904)Description
three ivory pins, l: 21 cm (each); one iron pin, l: 30,5 cm
Early field research referred to iron pins as the Mangbetu woman’s “pocketknife”. They were used for “surgical” puposes, such as cleaning wounds or taking out jiggers, as well as for nail care.