Brass arm or ankle ornament with punched and fine incised line designs on the front exterior surface
Both men and women of high status wore elwene ornaments of this kind on their arms or ankles. Brass was a highly valued material and a person’s ability to accumulate enough brass, through trade or exchange, to make such ornaments was an important indication of a person’s social standing.
These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.
The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.
If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk
