|Dinka mens corset called "malual" - Sudan
Dinka beaded woman's vest at the bottom of the page
If someone sends you photos of a Dinka corset similar to the one above and offers it to you for sale, be warned that this
person is mostly trying to take your money and run! I had a client that was looking for Dinka objects like this, and Victoria
Mbinya from Kenya sent me photos of the above corset offering it for sale. My client liked it so I purchased it on behalf of
my client by wiring Victoria the money. After the wire transfer completed I NEVER heard from Victoria again!
SO PLEASE BEWARE!
VICTORIA MBINYA MUNGUTI,
"The tight beaded corsets indicate the men's position in the age-set system of the tribe. The corsets are first sewn in place at puberty and not removed
until the wearer reaches a new age set. Each group wears a color-coded corset: a red and blue corset indicates a man between fifteen and
twenty-five years of age; a yellow and blue one marks someone over thirty and ready for marriage."
Source - PASSAGES by Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher
THE OBJECTS BELOW ARE NOT IN MY COLLECTION
THERE ARE ON THIS PAGE FOR REFERENCE PURPOSES ONLY
|Dinka corset that was on display at the NY Tribal and Textile
Arts Show in 2005 from Tribal Gathering London.
Photo above by Bryan at Tribal Gathering London
|The Dinka corset shown above is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City
Male Corset, 2nd half of 20th century
Sudan (Dinka peoples)
Glass, fur, shell, and vegetable fiber; L. (a) (center back) 30 in. (76.2 cm), L. (b) (center back) 16 in. (40.6 cm)
Isabel Shults Fund, 2001 (2001.177a, b)
"This extraordinary beaded corset is a rare example of the everyday wear of Dinka men. Because the Dinka peoples are herders, wandering the vast
plains of southern Sudan, portable possessions are very important. Like many southern and eastern African cultures, the Dinka have traditionally focused
on the human form as the primary method of artistic expression.
Because these garments are used to communicate characteristics such as gender, age, wealth, and ethnic affiliation, we can infer a significant amount of
information about the past wearer of this object. In particular, the red-and-black patterning indicates that the corset was worn by a male between the ages
of fifteen and twenty-five. The decoration of cowries, along with the extreme height of the back, marks the wearer as someone of considerable wealth. The
addition of the fur skirt (possibly cattle hair) is significant. The Dinka, who have traditionally gained their livelihood from their herds, value their animals as
a source of aesthetic inspiration and a link to the spiritual world.
As highly prized commodities, beads are a sign of wealth and status among the Dinka peoples. The polychrome glass beads that make up this garment
are European, while the cowries and fur skirt are undoubtedly of local origin."
(Entry written by Emily Martin)
|Comparative Photograph of Dinka Warrior
© Angela Fisher
Second half of the 20th century
Beads, fiber, leather
30 x 14.5
The Newark Museum, Purchase 2005 The Member's
From the exhibition:
Power Dressing: Men's Fashion and Prestige in Africa
|Dinka Herders with Cattle, Sudan
In traditional beaded corsets, Dinka herders
walk among their cattle in a dry-season camp.
From November to April, the Dinka move their
herds from permanent settlements on the
higher savanna down to the swamplands, next
to tributaries of the Nile River, an area that
supports grazing when all other pasture is
parched. The camps are run mainly by young
men and girls; during this leisurely time of the
year, young people are surrounded by their
animals and enjoy a convivial social life.
|2 Dinka men wearing corsets
Photo from Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher's "African Ceremonies"
"Dinka herders in traditional beaded corsets walk among their cattle in their dry season camp. The tight beaded corsets indicate the men's position
in the age-set system of the tribe. The corsets are first sewn in place at puberty and not removed until the wearer reaches a new age set. Each
group wears a color-coded corset: a red and blue corset indicates a man between fifteen and twenty-five years of age; a yellow and blue one marks
someone over thirty and ready for marriage."
|Photos above and information below from the book - "PASSAGES" by Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher
"Seasonal meetings of young Dinka men and women take place during the dry season, when the vast plains of the southern Sudan become so dry
that the herdsmen are forced to move to the swampy lands near the Nile, where water continues to support grazing for the animals.
Dinka dry season cattle camps are run mainly by the young men and girls, older people having been left behind in the highlands. During this
favorite, leisurely time of the year, young people are surrounded by their animals and enjoy a convivial social life. A young man accompanied by his
favorite ox makes a special point of visiting his girlfriend, and he will sing songs extolling the virtues of the magnificent beast and the beautiful girl he
is courting. Dry season camps not only pro¬vide essential grazing for the animals but also many opportunities for marriages to be made."
The corsets worn by this couple are unusual because of the height of the projections at the back, which indicates that the wearers come from
families rich in cattle. The corsets are worn until marriage, when they are removed.
|Malual (male corset)
Second half of the 20th century
Glass beads, cowries, plant fiber, cloth, iron
90.6cm x 46.5cm (351/2M x 18")
In the collection of the Canadian Museum of Civilization
"The Dinka beaded vest and corset shown in "Beads of Life" were collected in the southern Sudan during the mid-1990s. Ornaments of this type first
came to the attention of the general public with Angela Fisher's Africa Adorned (1984), which instantly transformed the Dinka people into an exotic
attraction at the very time when the Dinka were suffering from the war in the southern Sudan. Although worn only by the Dinka Bor, they have since
acquired emblematic status among some Dinka war refugees, who make woollen versions of the corset and occasionally wear these for dances.
These ornaments probably appeared during the second half of the twentieth century as glass beads became available in greater quantities in the
southern Sudan. They are apparently "extensions" of formerly existing belts for men and necklaces for women. The male corset is easily recognized by
its "horn" (fungi), flinging itself toward the sky at the back of the body. Cowrie shells (gak) are sewn at the front and back of the female vest, probably to
protect the wearer and ensure her fertility. Both corset and vest come in different colors, each linked to a particular age group. A man in his early
twenties would have worn the corset, and a married woman in her late twenties the vest."
From - Beads of Life: Eastern and Southern African Adornments by Mary-Louise Labelle
|Woman's Vest, Dinka, Sudan
Second half of the 20th century
Glass beads, cowries, plant fibre, iron, cloth, animal hide
62.5 cm (l) x 37.5 cm (w)
Photo: © Canadian Museum of Civilization, CMC 2002.20.1, Steven Darby, T2004-297
From - Beads of Life: Eastern and Southern African Adornments