Description (Physical description)
Hemispherical gourd used as bowl; upper part decorated with burnt design of conventionalised elephants etc. Shilluk speaking tribe called Shat.
Event Date
Author: maa

Description (Physical description)
Two long cracks from rim of bowl. One glued back together, other has original repair.
Event Date 22/4/2003
Author: Lily Stancliffe

Description (Physical description)
Gourd bowl decorated with incised and blackened panels of elephant hunting scenes. Two cracks from rim of bowl, one contemporary repair.
Event Date 20/1/2022
Author: Lily Stancliffe

Context (Field collection)
This object is described on the catalogue card as being made by a "Shilluk speaking [cultural group] called Shat." The cultural group(s) described as 'Shatt' have been recorded in both Sudan (Nuba Mountains) and South Sudan (Western Bahr el Ghazal). Santandrea (1956, 893-895) notes that 'Shatt' is an Arabic name. It is not clear from the documentation where or from whom this object was acquired.

S Santandrea, (1956) 'Luo and Luel' in Anthropos, pp.892-904.
Event Date 14/3/2022
Author: Zoe Cormack

Context (Field collection)
This object is part of a group that was donated to MAA by Paul Philip Howell in 1937 following a study trip to Upper Nile Province (Sudan) that was funded by Trinity College, Cambridge (where he was a student).

The trip report shows that Howell was based at the town of Kodok (also known as Fashoda; now in Upper Nile State, South Sudan), where he stayed with his uncle Michael Pumphrey (who was Assistant District Commissioner, based at Kodok). From Kodok, he travelled on foot and by boat to neighbouring villages. He met and interviewed the Reth (Divine King) Fafiti Wad Yor on several occasions and also attended dances and a funeral celebration.

It is likely that most of the objects donated to MAA were acquired in the vicinity of Kodok. In the trip report, Howell mentions in passing acquiring some objects in the Kodok region, but there is no systematic record of what he acquired.

In his memoir (SAD.769/5/2-18), Howell writes that the trip lasted for two months. However, his report only covers a one-month period. Annotations on his photographs from the trip show that he visited other places in Sudan including the town of Wau (now in Western Bahr el Ghazal State, South Sudan).

















Event Date 14/3/2022
Author: Zoe Cormack

Context (Related Documents)
A report from the trip on which this object was acquired has been deposited at the Sudan Archive, Durham University (SAD) among Howell’s papers. The trip report covers the period from 04/07/1937 - 02/08/1937 (SAD.71/10/1-24). Photographs from the trip are accessioned as SAD.765/22/1-11; SAD.59/4/1-97; SAD.59/5/1-96.

Event Date 14/3/2022
Author: Zoe Cormack