Necklace Item Number: 2878/3 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Description
Woman's necklace comprised of eight strands of beads separated and held in place by eight evenly spaced long, flat cow bone ‘dividers’, which are carved with a cross-hatch pattern. Within the 'dividers' are: six sections of red, oval glass beads, framed by white-blue beads; two sections of the same red and white-blue beads with additional circular, flat, red beads decorated with crescent moon and stars on one side and Arabic characters on the other, flanked by green white beads; and one section of red, white-blue, and green beads nearest the tie closure. The tie is made of greying thread that is tied tightly together in several knots.
History Of Use
This is a long version of a woman's necklace, highly prized by Kalash'a women. The beads and colour scheme used in this piece are representative of the style used by Kalash women in the 1970s to the 1990s. Since then the red colour has become less popular and has been replaced by bright orange and green beads.
Narrative
The date made refers to the necklace -- not the beads themselves. The carved and crosshatched cow bone 'dividers' were made by a Kalash'a man, a carver from Grom Village in the Rumbur Valley. The red and white beads are Czech trade beads; the red, oval glass beads are called 'sot-ki' by the Kalash'a; and the white ones with blue tinges are older (more than fifty years old). The circular flat red beads are Muslim prayer beads, decorated with the crescent moon and stars on one side and incised with Arabic characters on the other. The green beads are also from a Muslim prayer 'mala' or necklace. Both the flat red and green beads date to the early 20th century.
Item History
- Made by Waslim Goule (Maker) in Northwest Frontier, Pakistan during 1979
- Collected in Northwest Frontier, Pakistan during 1980
- Owned by Tamarin Productions Inc. before May 4, 2011
- Received from Tamarin Productions Inc. (Seller) and Ruth Read Bequest (Funding source) on May 4, 2011
What
Who
- Culture
- Kalash
- Creator
- Waslim Goule (Maker)
- Previous Owner
- Tamarin Productions Inc.
- Received from
- Tamarin Productions Inc. (Seller) and Ruth Read Bequest (Funding source)
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- Northwest Frontier, Pakistan
- Collected in
- Northwest Frontier, Pakistan
When
- Creation Date
- during 1979
- Collection Date
- during 1980
- Ownership Date
- before May 4, 2011
- Acquisition Date
- on May 4, 2011
Other
- Item Classes
- beadwork
- Condition
- good
- Accession Number
- 2878/0003