reliquary

General view of whole of Horniman Museum object no 8.32
General view of whole of Horniman Museum object no 8.32

'Mulongo' made of bark cloth, which contains the umbilical cord of a prince. The mulonga is formed of a bark cloth container that is a sealed cylinder. There is plant material twine at the top and bottom of the container in bands and are holding the handle in place. The handle is made from a piece of wood with plant material wrapped around it. The mulongo contains the umbilical cord of a prince.
label: pale blue with black type

This is bark cloth container holds the umbilical cord of a prince and is called a mulongo, or twin. The mulongo is supposed to retain the ghost of the afterbirth, which was held as the prince's double.

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
8.32
PLACE
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
overall: 22.3228 x 8.8189 x 3.1102 in.; 567 x 224 x 79 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
bark cloth; plant material; human skin; wood; bark cloth
CATEGORY
Anthropology: Ethnography
LOCATION
In storage
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Collection Information

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