Penca de Balangandã
date: label: Date
content: 19th century
name: label: Created by
content: Unidentified
notes: label: Caption
content: Penca de Balangandã are a type of charm jewelry traditionally made in the northeastern state of Bahia, Brazil. They date back to the 17th century but were most actively in use during the 18th and 19th century. These pencas were first associated with “for profit slaves”, enslaved people who worked for wages in urban Brazilian cities. While these people were forced to pay most of their earnings to slave owners, they were able to retain the remainder of their wages. Enslaved and freed Afro-Brazilians used their wages to purchase jewelry like this from local artisans as a means of cultural expression, spiritual protection, and wealth storage. These objects were extremely valuable, often written into wills as key asset to be adjudicated. The fastener and the charms were crafted out of gold or silver and were worn around the waist or on the wrist.
label: Caption
content: These charms are also associated with celebrations of Black brother/sisterhoods and can be worn in religious celebration. Syncretic ornaments, Penca de Balangandã merge values and aesthetics of baroque Catholicism and traditional African practices. Many of the charms carry dual meanings of Catholic symbolism and Afro-Brazillian orixas. The charms were curated by their individual owner to have specific aspects of spiritual protection. They were often called “penca” meaning bouquet, as the charms are closely grouped together, and “Balangandã”, an onomatopoetic word for the sound of the charms clinking together. While these ornaments were traditionally made of metal, they also included pieces of bone, coral, wood and stone to add to ornamentation.
label: Caption
content: The pendant charms on this penca may have multiple meanings. The two birds engraved into the clasp may represent Africa and the Americas, with the shape of the clasp symbolizing the slave ship that transported enslaved Africans across the Atlantic. Within the candomblé faith, grapes represent the orisha Oxum and are also symbols of female fertility, passion, and life. Fish is also a symbol of fertility and a representation of the orisha Lemanjá. The pineapple and mandarin generally represent fertility of the land while the cashew apple represents the orisha Xango and is a symbol of vitality. The tusk is an object of superstition, and the dark wood of the figa (wooden hand) possibly indicates a stronger protection against the evil eye. The figa itself represents sexuality and fertility to attract positive energy and reproduction. The cylinder is used to store herbs and other pieces of wood. These bundles were meant to protect against back luck. It might have been used to hold incense.
label: Description
content: A piece of charm jewelry, penca de balangandã, comprised of a metal main body, the nave, and nine charm pendants and typically worn around the waist with a strip of cloth or chain.
label: Description
content: The nave is a triangular shaped body divided into two parts horizontally and held together by a hinge and butterfly screw. The top part of the nave is symmetrical with an elaborate, decorative, botanical motif on the solid design with large empty spaces. A chain would have been weaved through these empty spaces or the upper most part. The topmost part is flanked by birds with closed wings. The lower part of the nave is semicircular and denticulated where the pendants are located. The face of the denticulated curve has a smooth texture.
label: Description
content: The nine charms are: a boar tusk with three bands at each end and the middle; a wooden fist stained darker and with copper fingernails; a raffia palm nut surrounded by four metal leaves; a bunch of grapes with leaves; a plant, possible corn, with spiky leaves at the top and flared out ends; a cylinder formed from two stacked spheres, resembling a pomegranate, and with a floral motif; a cashew apple; a fish with copper eyes; and an orange/mandarin with leaves.
place: label: Place made
content: Brazil, Latin America, South America
label: Cultural Place
content: Bahia, Brazil, Latin America, South America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: African diaspora
label: Topic
content: Clothing and dress
label: Topic
content: Costume
label: Topic
content: Fashion
label: Topic
content: Identity
label: Topic
content: Portuguese colonialism
label: Topic
content: Religion
label: Topic
content: Resistance
label: Topic
content: Slavery
label: Topic
content: Spirituality
label: Topic
content: Trans Atlantic slave trade
label: Topic
content: Women
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Slavery and Freedom Objects
label: Classification
content: Sacred and Ceremonial Objects
label: Classification
content: Accessories and Personal Effects
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift in honor of Marion Kumala Lockard
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2024.27
objectType: label: Type
content: amulets
label: Type
content: talismans
label: Type
content: charms
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Public domain
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: tin plated copper, raffia palm nut, boar's tooth, wood
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 13 × 10 × 2 1/2 in. (33 × 25.4 × 6.4 cm)