Pouch
ClassificationsClothing and Adornments-bags, pouches, and purses
Culture
Chawai
Dateearly 20th Century
Made AtKaduna State, Nigeria, Asia
Made AtPlateau State, Nigeria, Africa
MediumLeather, mirror and pigment
Dimensions3 3/4 × 2 1/2 × 5 in. (9.5 × 6.4 × 12.7 cm)
Credit LineGift of Martha Jo Roff
Object number87.19.9
DescriptionThis is a leather money holder that comes from the Chawai tribe in Nigeria. The purse was most likely intended to be worn over a belt. The holder contains a small pocket and a tin edged mirror in the interior. On the exterior are displayed tooled designs on one side and black printed crossed designs on the other. Fringe is attached to the end of the holder and has black horizontal running across the glossy face with the ends colored black. There is a strap meant to close over a squared leather button. The Chawai tribe lives in the Plateau and Kaduna states of Nigeria in a series of villages. Though the tribe has turned to small farming in the recent decades, hunting has religious and ritual significance. In West Africa in the 19th and 20th centuries, currency was usually worn or displayed. The bulky currency could include large anklets, ingot rods, weaponry, items that could not be carried in a money holder as small as this one. This money holder reflects a shift in currency and commercial exchange within the 20th century. With the entrance of European influences, African cultures began shifting from large stores of wealth in the form of metal tools and displays to coins that could easily be traded, transported, and accessed.On View
Not on view
20th Century
20th Century
