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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Wow! That is a wonderful example! Thank you so much, I just learnt a lot. What a beautiful piece!
(I wrote under the recent pic of mine where we discussed, more about it, Thank you so much for the links, and Information. I really did not know! I have some like this pendant (but smaller), but not with the phallic side pendants , and a big one sold as Tawedoo (? this is something about the church? ), and smaller ones (of which I did not know the Name. So it is called mergaf.
I am -alas- no expert on this topic. These pendants and amulet boxes are often siad to be worn by Christian Ethiopians, though I feel fairly to say that Muslim Oromo women (some Oromo are Christian some are Muslim) wear them, too.
Tewahedo (tawedo) is a self-ascriptive term used by Ethiopian Orthodox Church, meaning something like "unity" or "one-ness" and referring to the nature of Christ as being both human and divine at the same time. Sometimes one also finds references that see some religious symbolism in the number of bumps on the pendants. I am not sure if the smaller ones which are essentially telsums with dangles are also referred to as mergafs, but what they all have in common is that they are thought to have protective powers.
@Wow, thanks a lot for all the info! Great to read this. e.g. I did not know that Oromo people are found in both religions. Thank you a lot also for the explanation what means "Tewahedo".