Unidentified

Description

The object consists of a dark brown tooled leather bag with attachments of iron tools, wooden whistles, and cowrie shells.The bag is made from two pieces of leather. A large piece forms the front and back of the bag, and a narrow strip (about 2 cm. in width) is stitched between the front and back to create the bag’s thickness, as well as serving as a portion of the bag’s strap. Leather fringe with cowrie shells knotted onto some fringe ends is sewn into the front seam along the bottom. The narrow strip of leather extends above the bag about 20 cm. on each side. On the proper left side it is looped back on itself with a fringed leather strip attached to the end. Each element of the fringe ends in a cowrie shell, secured with a knot near the bottom. On the proper right side the strip is no longer doubled back on itself, although the original fold is apparent. Leather fringe ending in cowrie shells, two wooden whistles, a small wooden carving, and a leather pouch containing tweezers and two iron picks are looped around this side, but move freely on it because the strip is not doubled back. A red leather strip has been threaded through the folded over strip on the proper left side and is knotted onto the strip on the proper right side; together these strips form the carrying strap.The bag was originally stitched together with what appears to be animal-product thread. There...

Record Contributed By

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Record Harvested From

Smithsonian Institution