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.
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These are two meditation stick covers,the are mounted on top of sturdy wooden stick . In the old Ethiopian Coptic churches there are no chairs or benches. ( In the new cathedrals there are benches).
So the church attendants are standing listening to the cermons and can be quite long, so they lean on the stick with both hands and rest their chins on their hands. One nice story of this is that King Lalibella, the one who had so many rock churches made in Lalibella town, was a tall person, this because of his meditation stick is still in tact and quite long.
The left one has beautiful waving design with bell decoration, very elegant and I place it more amongst the Gondar area. The right one has all the designs of the Harrar, Orgoba elements, like the muria beads of the Ogadin and Harrar area, so also the stem looks like some of the bracelets and the large granulate on top. So I suspect to come form a copctic church from the eastern area. Both are good silver and both are antique.
Beautiful and unique artifacts! Love the soft glow of the silver.
Hi Betty, These are old one, you might have seen the ones which do look like a much more solid T shape, from a later period. Those are around in silver, nickel and brass. most probably also more comfortable as those offer more room for the hands. Gr. Ingrid.
beautiful pieces, thanks for the Information about them. It makes it so much different to know more how they are used.
Thank you Eva, They are well used and saved because especially when people get older they do spend a lot of time at the church every day for meditation and also in the church yard for socializing and of course, a bit of gossiping. Gr. Ingrid
Thanks Ingrid, I had to smile a lot about the "bit of gossiping"........ it reminds me of some churches here .
That is right Eva, you know also in the middle ages older people spend a lot of time around the walls of churches, It is also very much given in the play of 'Murder in the Cathedral" in Canterbury,Kent, England.
I did ones the choreography of the chores of that play. And dear did they gossip, I took than was going on around the Ethiopian churches. You see it so clearly. GR. Ingrid.