Pillar with carvings of the goddess Sülmech riding on a ram. The pillar belongs to the Kafir period from before the Emir of Kabul forced the eastern part of Afghanistan to convert to Islam, which means that it is at least 100 years old, the […]
Month: November 2015
In Other Shoes – Chinese Lotus Shoes
Sometimes footwear isn’t just footwear. Sometimes it tells the story of much more – traditional gender roles, power structures, and customs of aesthetics. We’ve described the old Chinese tradition of foot binding on the blog before, explaining why the shoes we display from this region […]
Kaftan – India
Silk! The fabric equivalent of precious metals like gold, silver, and platinum – historically reserved for the nobler part of society. Needless to say, this garment was traditionally worn only by the aristocracy. From the beautifully picturesque “land of high passes”, Ladakh, neighbouring the Himalayas […]
In Other Shoes – Moroccan Barbouches
What to wear when going to the mosque? “Moroccan slippers. Given to me December 20th 1975 by Erik Grønborg Mortensen, who got them from his uncle Børge Lundberg, circa 1954, who had bought them in Morocco (Casablanca). Everyone – rich and poor, flop about in […]
Medicine Calabash – Tanzania
Hush, hush… we’re gonna let you in on a little secret here! In Kisukuma, a calabash is called itolo. However, a calabash used to carry water is called kisabo, which actually refers to the calabash being large in size. This calabash contains medicine and therefore it’s a ntumba gwa bugota. […]
In Other Shoes – Icelandic Skin Socks
Confused by the title? According to S.L. Tuxen, these are supposedly a form of socks – however, we’ve had trouble understanding exactly how that would work. Could they be a form of shin guards? Or an extension for the shoe? We are not sure – […]
Bird Mask – Chad
We know – it’s too late for Halloween inspiration! Nevertheless, this mask deserves some attention, not least because of the effort it must have taken to wear it. Made to resemble a bird’s head – more specifically the head of a large Ground Hornbil […]
In Other Shoes – Siamese Slippers
“Siamese slippers. Bought on December 18th 1957 from antiques salesman Suude (ethnographica) in Copenhagen. They originate from engineer Carl Idor Andreas Zieler (1898-1951), who was born in Siam and have been there from 1898-1903 and from 1923-1951 he lived in Siam and travelled a lot […]
ethnographica 