(6) Engraving on metals
Traditional Craft, Knowledge about Nature, Oral Tradition, Performing Arts, Social Practices, in All Sudan | Nationally recognized
Engraving on metals (gold, silver and copper) is the engraving of shapes and symbols on the surfaces of these metals. They are used for adornment by women and men, and in same time are linked to customs and traditions. Also They are having cultural connotations related to beliefs and rituals; in particular with ritual protection.
The craft of engraving on metals has been practiced in Sudan since the period of the Karma civilization 4000 years ago, and it was used in successive periods in the civilizations of Napata and Meroe, and in the Christian and Islamic period, then the Turkish period and in the English colonial. The best example for these metal handcrafts of gold, silver and copper, which are decorated with various engraved shapes, are to be found in Sudan National Museum.
Shapes and symbols engraved on surfaces of metals, beside they are used by women and men for adornment, they are also related to the human life cycle customs and traditions. For example, we find the pound ring used by a woman in childbirth, and the golden crescent worn by the bridegroom and the circumcised child on their foreheads. The shapes and symbols engraved on metals also have cultural connotations related to beliefs and rituals; in particular they are associated with ritual protection, such as the placement of copper utensils under the woman's bed of childbirth to protect her and her child from the evil spirits.
Ownership / bearers
- Tabidi Family in Omdurman city
- The Gold Market
- The artisan Abdulhamid Bulbul & his brother Samir & Sami Abdulhamid
Contact
assadhajam@yahoo.com
Links
Gallery
