Necklace Item Number: 2878/8 from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Women's circular-shaped brass neck ring, open at the top. There is spiraling groove carved around the central two-thirds of the neck ring. Both ends taper at the opening and are smooth with no carving present. One tapered end curves to make a “U” shape, while the other end has a much broader bend.

History Of Use

Gringas are an essential marriage item that fathers try to obtain from traders or the Chitral bazaar to give to their daughters when they are betrothed to a young man of the father's clan's choosing.

Narrative

This brass gringa is made from spent bullet cartridges. Brass necklaces and bracelets are much sought after by Kalash'a women and girls. Many gringas are silver and come from the Pathan tribal areas to the southwest, but this gringa was made locally in the Kalash'a valleys by a Nuristani craftsman (a Kom Kati tribal man whose family fled from the Bashgal River valley in 1896). Because these neck rings are no longer being made, and are passed from mother to daughter, they are valued by Kalash'a women.

Item History

What

Name
Necklace
Identification Number
2878/8
Type of Item
necklace
Material
brass metal
Overall
height 10.8 cm, width 13.3 cm, depth 11.5 cm

Who

Culture
Kalash
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
Pakistan
Collected in
Balanguru, Northwest Frontier, Pakistan

When

Creation Date
before 1950
Collection Date
during 1977
Ownership Date
before May 4, 2011
Acquisition Date
on May 4, 2011

Other

Item Classes
metalwork
Condition
good
Accession Number
2878/0008