Camwood Dye 1 Lot
date: label: Accession Date
content: 20 Nov 1899
name: label: Collector
content: Rev. Samuel P. Verner
label: Donor Name
content: Rev. Samuel P. Verner
notes: label: Notes
content: FROM CARD: "CAMWOOD GROUND AND PRESSED INTO SMALL BLOCKS. FORMERLY IN BASKET 204446." 204483. LOANED TO RENWICK 8/19/81. RETURNED 8/1983. THREE PIECES OF BARWOOD (TOOL),LATE 19TH CENTURY KUBA PEOPLE;ZAIRE. HEARTWOOD OF THE PADAUK TREE (PTEROCARPUS SOYAUXII) EACH: 1/2 X 2 1/2 X 1 1/8 (1.2 X 6.4 X 2.9).NMNH 204483. AS PART OF THEIR ATTIRE FOR FESTIVE OCCASIONS, KUBA MEN AND WOMEN ADD COLOR TO THEIR SKINS AND DRESS IN FINE CLOTHING. THE MAIN COSMETIC IS A RED POWDER THAT THEY PREPARE FROM A RARELY FOUND LOCAL TREE. USUALLY, WOMEN RUB TWO BLOCKS OF THE HEARTWOOD OF THIS TREE TOGETHER TO OBTAIN THE PIGMENT IN POWDERED FORM. IT IS A HIGHLY PRIZED COMMODITY AND IS TRADED WIDELY THROUGHOUT THE REGION. FOR FESTIVALS, LOCAL COSMETIC EXPERTS ARE EMPLOYED TO APPLY THE INTRICATE DESIGNS TO THE BODIES OF THE PARTICIPANTS. THE COLOR RED SYMBOLIZES LIFE, BLOOD, AND ENERGY. THE SAME BARWOOD POWDER IS ALSO USED AS A DYE FOR COLORING FOODS AND FOR PAINTING TEXTILES, MASKS, UTENSILS, AND STATUES."
label: Record Last Modified
content: 12 Apr 2022
label: Specimen Count
content: 25
place: label: Place
content: Kasai River (upper), Democratic Republic of the Congo (not certain) / Angola (not certain), Africa
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Bantu
label: Culture
content: Bakuba
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 035839
label: USNM Number
content: E204483-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Dye
physicalDescription: label: Unknown - Each
content: 1.2 cm
label: Unknown - Each
content: 6.4 cm
label: Unknown - Each
content: 2.9 cm