firedrill; firestick

General view of whole of Horniman Museum object no 1972.129
General view of whole of Horniman Museum object no 1972.129

Pair of firesticks made from 'lguita' wood by Dorobo elders. One of the sticks (the 'hearth', 'ntoome') is flattened, with a circular depression on one side that matches the diameter of the second stick (the 'drill', 'lpiroi'), which is long, narrow, and cylindrical.

Kept in the house and used ritually by boys from 20 years upwards, morans and elders. When a new generation of morans is made, the last but one generation of morans (now elders) are responsible for them. They are known as firestick elders. They begin a new generation of morans by lighting a fire with new firesticks in a special enclosure within a new boma, built especially for the new morans. This is a blessing. Firestick elders can also curse their morans.

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
1972.129
Date
1948
PLACE
COLLECTION
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
wood
CATEGORY
Anthropology: Ethnography
LOCATION
In storage
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Collection Information

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