Gallery

A digital archive showcasing the extensive collection of jewellery and adornment images shared on the former Ethnic Jewels Ning site over the years. These images have significantly enriched discussions on cultural adornment and its global dispersion.

Fellah

Posted by Cordelia Donohoe on February 16, 2014 at 7:04pm

I was in a local vintage market yesterday and I met a lady selling some ethnic jewels there. I noticed a photograph in her cabinet and I asked her where the lady came from, she said that the postcard said Fellah woman, which on looking this up does not really tell much except she is of the farming/peasant or agricultural class. In Egypt wiki says 'Comprising 60% of the Egyptian population, the fellahin lead humble lives and continue to live in mud-brick houses like their ancient ancestors. Their percentage was much higher in the early 20th century, before the large influx of Egyptian fellahin into urban towns and cities. In 1927, anthropologist Winifred Blackman, author of The Fellahin of Upper Egypt, conducted ethnographic research on the life of Upper Egyptian farmers and concluded that there were observable continuities between the cultural and religious beliefs and practices of the fellahin and those of ancient Egyptians.

Comments

Cordelia Donohoe February 16, 2014 at 7:06pm

Does anyone have any more idea of what community this lady could have come from?
Alaa eddine SAGID March 6, 2014 at 11:10am

Anywhere along the nile valley, but the fact is that this lady is probably wearing gold beads and a somewhat modern earrings means that she probably comes from lower valley or even from the delta...upper valley ladies were more used to silver jewels such as the like one can see among nubians and besharia!!
Cordelia Donohoe March 6, 2014 at 12:18pm

Yes thanks Alaa, it seems a strange racist thing to put fellah on the photo, as it just puts too many types of people into one class.
Alaa eddine SAGID March 6, 2014 at 12:23pm

Don't expect much from early photographers.

They were mostly on a propaganda mission to attract colons and investors...hence the huge amount of women on pictures, many were naked....academic and scientific purpose wasn't their primarly goal!!

All these pictures and old postacards are real gold mines for the researches, yet one has to cautiously inspect them and use loads of criticism to come by some insights and info!