In a blog article linked HERE on these pretty pieces of jewelry seen mainly in India and around, traditions surrounding anklets have been discussed.
If you know of more traditions or stories surrounding this type of jewelry or have unique pieces, please contribute to the blog / this discussion so that we can together build up a significant block of knowledge on the subject.
Replies
Hello, love your intelligent and beautiful blog. Can't wait to see some of your pics on this site.
Thank you Ayis,
Yes maybe in the next round - I am still finding my feet on this website and learning the navigation. Will figure it out the next time.
Welcome to the Forum Jaina
you would probably like your beautiful pictures be added straight on the forum wale to be largely discussed by members
just click on "add pictures"
lovely blog BTW
I took this picture at a festival - so he wasn't actually going hunting :) But they are dressed 'similarly' when they go hunting in reality.
The 'what does it all mean' question is the pulse of my pursuits. And the answers to this question with respect to the jewelry / costume traditions of any single tribe would need a lifetime of research and yield a few Ph.d. thesis :) if one is so inclined....It is despairing to note that I will never have time enough to find out everything about everything about all the tribes I visit ....no consolation in sight!
Many of such ties are for good luck or to ward off the evil eye. Some may have some medicinal properties as well. And the best way to carry such essential items on his body might be to tie them on. Or they might just be adornments that are easy to procure.
Thelma I will add on a blog article in a few weeks - about the the adornment accessories of this tribe - their elaborate hip baskets with embellishments like monkey skulls etc ... its been on my to-do list for a long time. Do look out for it. The 'what does it all mean' question takes on mind-boggling with those visuals.
This hunter of the Nocte tribe seems extremely well dressed to go hunting! Using grass and other plants for the decoration of his legs and arms. But what does it all mean? It isn't camouflage but it must be significant and related to local beliefs.
Jaina Mishra said:
Toerings are another interesting subject with several traditions embedded - will write another mini-article about them. The lady is wearing 2 - the larger ones open up at the bottom and the small simple ones are slip ons. Soap solution is usually applied in to facilitate the slipping on. This method is also used with glass bangles.
While life is generally conservative in public view, there are a few domains in which males have access to women's lives. One of these is the bangle seller.(Pictures of a fitting session is attached). He goes from home to home selling bangles and women gather around him to buy and he checks the wrist sizes and puts them on for them. Since this is always a group session, the older women keep a watch over the proceedings. The gathering, as can be seen consists of babies, children, mother-in-laws, daughter in laws etc. So also with the jeweler.
Tribal communities have life models that are radically different and often less Victorian the those of the middle-class people.
I've lived in Oman for 2 years and I doubt that this would happen there or even in Punjab in India or in Pakistan. The purdah is a very important idea there. Again in my close association with some families from these regions, possessiveness and ego are indistinguishably intertwined - and mixed with requirements of purity. So such things would certainly not be permissible.
Sil 425.jpg
Mumbai august 27th 009.jpg
Well, I'm glad it involved pulling rather than sawing or cutting as I had imagined! But the toe rings don't seem to have the opening and must surely be subject to more drastic procedures if they need to be removed. They have to fit so closely; and I can imagine they become tight, get sand underneath etc and cause discomfort. Presumably the person who removes these items is the same kind of person who fits them originally... and this must be the tribal smith. Is that right? I suppose I'm surprised that the smith is allowed acccess to a woman's ankle and toes. But without it, it would be impossible to put on and take off these rigid anklets and toe rings. Would this happen in Oman ... or Morocco or Pakistan? Maybe the design of the anklets would be different there!
Jaina Mishra said:
Yes - pain is definitely a part of the wearing ... but so is a nose piercing or ear piercing. In this case the pain lasts a few weeks. The pair I had acquired was rigid with a very narrow opening and pliers are used to broaden th eopening just enough to wriggle the ankle in (or out) and then the opening is pressed closed again. Yes - Louboutins would be a great comparison - worn day and night :)
Aye, Aye! That sounds painful and also a little worrying. What are the pliers like that are used to cut these anklets off. For me, it would be one of those 'Don't look now' moments. But a great feeling of relief when they were gone. I'm not sure about these rigid anklets! I suppose one also has to keep them on at night. That must be uncomfortable. I'm beginning to associate a number of keywords with them, not all of which are positive: desirable, delightful, uncomfortable, anxiety-producing ... suffering.. It's a little bit like possessing a pair of Louboutins these days:).
Jaina Mishra said:
Here are some more from my image library but these are temporary feet adornments made of leaves. The Nocte tribe in Arunachal Pradesh.
JAM-2302.jpg
JAM-2261.jpg
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next