6. CHAPTER SIX: A VISUAL STUDY OF DECORATIVE METALWORK AS A WAY OF UNDERSTANDING MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUES
6.4: VISUAL STUDY METHODOLOGY
6.4.2: ORNAMENTS MADE OF COPPER AND WITH COPPER
holding garments together do not appear to be part of the African farming communities’
material culture. In this case it appears that the metal smith was influenced by brooches he noted being worn among European visitors or immigrants or large safety pins imported from Europe (Tyrrel’ 1968:97). A postscript added by Ashton (1938:308) stated that “At one time a modern type of blacksmithing learnt from European blacksmiths, flourished in Basutoland. A number of Sotho after serving their apprenticeship with a European-smith or at one of the technical schools established their own blacksmith shops” where they facilitated local repairs for the community.
Midway through the 18th century colourful blankets from England were introduced to the South Sotho in Lesotho and became a valued item of clothing (Karstel, 1995). To ensure the blanket’s security around the shoulders a large safety pin or brooch (lemao or sepêlêlê) (Kriel, 1958) was employed. These have been illustrated in drawings and photography (Tyrrel, 1968:97, Morris & Levitas, 1984. Illustration 44).
Figure 6.5 A European inspired brooch (SAMAE 562) made from iron, copper, brass and aluminium wire of varying thickness from Lesotho.
In summary, the main techniques used to manufacture the objects made with iron in the Iziko Museum are hammering, wire drawing, polishing, incisions with the use of a chisel, and in the case of the brooch the use of pliers. It appears that imported metal was manipulated using techniques similar to those employed on local metal.
cultural groups of southern Africa. The ornaments selected to represent these cultural groups are beads, bracelets and a neck-ring. The beads and bracelets are representative of decorative objects that have been recovered in archaeological sites, most in fragmentary form over the past five hundred years (Van Tonder, 1966; Shaw, 1974; Maggs, 1976; Davison, 1984; Hall et al., 2006; Denbow & Miller, 2007). The Krige collection presented to the Iziko Museum in 1990 comprises a range of copper beads from the Lobedu (SAMAE 9910, 9911, 9913) each group showing a diversity of manufacturing features. Amongst the copper bead collections are some from the Mpukushu (SAMAE 10009) and Bushman (SAMAE 9147, 9326) of Botswana, all of which are fastened to flexible bracelets made of a selection of natural materials. A group of copper flexible, fine, wire-wound bracelets wound over an animal hair core is accompanied by others made from fine brass wire (UCT 38/69). A flexible bracelet has been included in the collection, demonstrating a combination of metals, those of fine copper spiralled wire and a use of narrow iron plates (SAMAE 457), and narrow rod copper neck-ring from the Ndzundza (SAMAE 10151), Limpopo Province.
Two sets of copper beads (SAMAE 9910, 9911) Figures 6.6/7 from Duiwelskloof, Limpopo Province, demonstrate the techniques of bead making that have been recorded from early archaeological sites such as Broederstroom (Friede, 1977) and Kwagandaganda (Miller & Whitelaw, 1994) without having been altered to the present time (Shaw, 1974; Davison, 1984). A note in the Iziko records states that these are “old copper and native made beads”. Items in the first group (SAMAE 9910) are recorded as being the same age; they are two cylindrically shaped copper beads with carefully butt jointed seams. The measurements for the two beads are 5.2 mm in diameter for both, while their widths differ, 2.0 mm and 2.7 mm, and their thickness is 1.1 mm and 1.2 mm respectively. The upper and lower surfaces have been worn flat. Both beads have been cut from rectangular shaped wire, while the wider bead shows striation marks. Both beads are well polished eliminating obvious manufacturing tool marks.
Figure 6.6 (left) (SAMAE 9910) a set of two copper cylindrical beads
Figure 6.7 (right) (SAMAE 9911) a set of two barrel shaped beads, showing manufacturing marks
The second group of two beads (SAMAE 9911) demonstrates the use of chisels in the uneven manufacture of the two beads. The measurements of these two beads are 6.5 and 6.9 mm in diameter, 3.2 and 3.3 mm in width while the thickness of the wire is 1.5 mm in both cases. Hammer marks on the surface have been eliminated through wear and tear, as both beads are highly polished. The angled chisel cuts from left and right have produced a blunt triangular or barrel-shaped cross-section. The beads have been bent into shape with the vertical surface on the inside of the object. The thin stretched metal around the top and bottom edges shows blade or chisel cut surfaces. The severing of the barrel-shaped wire into units has also splayed the metal which has resulted in the flat butt joints of the beads appearing wider than the actual bead.
The third group of copper beads from the Lobedu region (SAMAE 9913) Figure 6.8 is also part of the Krige collection. A large number of discoloured beads is strung on a cord.
The diameters of the beads are uneven with an average of 5.5 mm and a thickness of 2.5 mm. The joints display a gap between their extremities in the final manufacture. The overall impression is that there is a lack of uniformity in the use of shallow D-shaped sectioned rods, which are cut into irregular lengths and bent into barrel shaped forms.
They are worn smooth with no striations, or hammer marks visible.
Figure 6.8 Copper beads made from D-shaped cross-section rod demonstrate polished surfaces and chisel cut butt-joins
The copper beads from central Botswana Figure 6.9 show considerable difference in appearance from those from the Limpopo Province. There are two sets of cylindrically- shaped beads which are spaced around a fibrous core bound with sinew (SAMAE 9326 and SAMAE 9147). SAMAE 9326 was acquired by F.W. Taylor from the Naron Bushmen in the Ghansi area, in 1966. There are 16 beads which have been cut from strips of copper and bent into shape. The diameter of the beads is ca. 6.5 mm, the thickness 3.5 mm and the width of the metal ribbon ca. 2.0 mm. The diameter of the bracelet is 6.2 cm.
The cylindrical shaped beads are carefully butt-jointed, with hammer marks superficially seen on the external surface of some of the beads. The outer sharp edges of the beads have been eliminated through wear and tear which has produced a smooth overall surface.
A group of copper beads labelled SAMAE 9147 was acquired from L. van Onselen in 1965 without the locality of origin being noted. There are 30 copper beads placed on a core of animal hairs and sinew. The measurements of these beads are 6.5 mm diameter with a thickness of 3.9 mm, and the width of the metal ribbon is ca. 2.0 mm. Figure 6.9 shows cylindrical beads which have been cut from rectangular strips of copper and bent into shape. Tool marks, such as those from hammering are more visible on these beads than on those discussed above. The butt-joints are not invisible as are those seen on SAMAE 9326, while these show an imperceptible curvature inwards and a roughness around the edges. Tool marks in the form of small depressions are noted on some of the beads. Wear and tear has contributed to the polished appearance of the beads.
Figure 6.9 Cylindrical copper beads of Bushman manufacture from the central Kalahari Desert.
The copper beads made by the Mpukushu, of Northern Botswana (SAMAE 10009) Figure 6.10 show a rougher approach to bead making than those worn by the Bushmen.
The beads were obtained from the Okavango River region, acquired from Dr. Fisch in 1971. The measurements for the bracelet are 9.5 cm by 10.2 cm. The measurements for the beads are on average 7.9 mm in diameter, the thickness 4.9 mm and the width of the metal 2.5 mm.
Figure 6.10 A bracelet made of uneven copper beads from Northern Botswana showing manufacturing irregularities.
Although these beads appear polished the irregular manufacturing processes are apparent. The unevenly made beads are strung around a flexible core made from giraffe tail hairs and bound by sinew. A variety of tool marks or metal defects are noted on these beads such as grooves in the centre of some beads, perhaps as a result of bending or overlapping in the metal ribbons in the act of making rods for the object. There are fine hammer marks noted on the beads throughout, and the butt joints are rough and uneven.
The shapes of the beads vary between cylindrical and barrel shapes.
Thirty three flexible wire-wound bracelets of fine copper and brass wire are tied into a bundle bearing the catalogue number UCT 38/69, - 38 implying the year of collection (see Figure 6.11 :). The average measurements of the copper bracelets are 7.2 cm in diameter while the brass bracelets are slightly smaller measuring 6.8 cm in diameter.
The diameter of the wire employed for these objects is 0.5 mm. The circular wire employed is regular throughout suggesting that the wire was commercially acquired.
Some of these bracelets are in better condition than others as patination has taken place over part or all of many of the objects. The Iziko Museum records states that the inner core used was animal tail hairs and the artefacts were collected from the Lobedu. The bracelets are well made with no unusual manufacturing characteristics visible.
Figure 6.11 Thirty-three flexible bracelets of copper and brass, most of which are patinated including a detail showing fabrication methods.
A copper and iron bracelet (SAMAE 457) (see Figure 6.12) was made by a S. Sotho metal smith in approximately 1904. The upper and lower sections are made with a core of coiled copper wire and are bound by even, slightly stretched, spiralled, copper commercial wire which is 1.1 mm thick. The diameter of the object is 5.7 cm. It is made in two sections placed one above the other and held firmly together with a bracket of discoloured hammered iron plates over both extremities. The iron brace is 8 mm wide and 1.1 mm thick and overlaps securely on the inner surface of the object. A ‘hook and eye’ device is made of iron for holding the ornament together; the latter features are wrapped in fine copper wire. The Iziko Museum acquired the object from Rev. F. Christol.
Figure 6.12 A double stranded copper flexible bracelet held together by iron brackets made by a South Sotho metal-smith.
A light and narrow neck-ring made of copper by a metal-smith (SAMAE 10152) has been chosen to represent the larger forms of body ornament made from this metal (Figure 6.20 (a) :) shows both copper and brass neck-rings). The copper neck-ring measures 10.9 by 10.45 cm in diameter, while the dimensions of the rod are 6.00 mm in diameter, and the thickness is 4.5 mm. It weighs 39 g. The curved rod displays a slight convex inner and outer surface and a smooth upper and lower surface. The cross-section is rectangular which is noted at the outer extremities which almost meet. There are no smithing marks on the ring; which might imply that the ring or rod was acquired from a trading outlet, or alternatively subjected to attrition by many neck-rings being worn at the same time. The possibility cannot be excluded that this object may have been manufactured from a locally cast marale by the metal smiths of Phalaborwa (Friede, 1980, Mason, 1986). This neck-ring demonstrates similarities with a brass neck-ring from the same cultural group and described below.
In summary, the techniques of manufacture visible on the studied objects include the shaping of rods with either flat or curved outer surfaces to form beads not only from the Limpopo region but also from Botswana. The latter show rougher fabrication marks identified by the use of hammers, while some beads from Botswana show grooves appearing on the surface of the beads, while those from Lobedu show striation marks.
The copper wire-wound bracelets indicate that commercial fine drawn wire was used for
manufacture of both examples and that metal smiths were following the techniques utilised from the first millennium onwards.