Pair of Iron Funerary Bracelets
Birom / Bura / Rukuba / Sura, Nigeria / Niger
Iron
Circa 11th - 19th century CE

There is an important, closely-related example of these funerary bracelets (although cast in bronze) in the collection of the Barbier-Mueller Museum, Geneva, that was not given a cultural attribution. It was described this way: "The only certainty concerning this bracelet is its age: it was part of an ensemble where another tubular bracelet still contained bones. The dating of these by C14 allows us to trace these objects back to the eleventh century. But we would like to know for who - priest, king, or queen - this ornament was intended, and in what ceremonial or ritual context it was used" (Meyer, Les Arts des Métaux en Afrique Noire, 1997). 

This pair has a heavy archaeological patina and like the above described bracelet, these are also believed to be burial wealth. While dating them to the 18th or 19th century would be conservatively responsible, it is reasonable to consider that the desert climate of Niger and northern Nigeria could have preserved them for a considerably longer period of time. 

Importantly, the Birom, Rukuba, and Sura cultures of Nigeria were known to manufacture armor by pushing iron spikes through a flat piece of iron, as seen here. This unique characteristic strongly suggests a connection of these bracelets to the northern Nigerian cultures (British Museum, Af1906,1017.5 and Af1906,1017.6)

4.5 and 4.25 in :: 11.5 and 11 cm (height not including bases)

InventoryID #13-1781

Not For Sale