Belt Ornament

20th century

Two spirals suspended by a loop form a large flattened bead that a man of northern Cameroon wore. Iron is accorded a special status in parts of Africa where a "sacred iron complex" prevails. It was often considered a piece of the sun whose glow had to be hammered into shape by the first human ancestor to serve as tools.

Iron

2 x 2 3/4 x 1/8 in. (5.1 x 7 x 0.3cm)

Partial gift of Tom Joyce and partial purchase with funds from John and Robyn Horn

2007.127

Photo by Tom Joyce

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistoryAsheville, North Carolina, Life Force at the Anvil, A Blacksmith's Art from Africa, May 22 - August 28, 1998

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, A Bead Quiz, July 1, 2008 - July 1, 2009

Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.

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