Cameroon
Cameroonians

Togo seeds, woven textile, rattan
Mid 20th Century
Two panels: 14inchs x 20 inches each
Idiophone – Struck Indirectly – Shaken -Rattle Adornments

A pair of Cameroon grassfields artifact dance jingles made from the Togo seeds, which are ubiquitous in Africa and are used for many different things. These rattles can be worn around a dancer’s ankles/lower part of the legs for a traditional or masquerade dance. Togo seeds grow on trees in the rainforests of various regions of Africa. In the African tropical rainforest the Togo seeds are normally harvested in the dry season, which lasts about three months. These artifact dance jingles are skillfully assembled and sewn on to woven textile.  Traditionally they represented a sort of local currency.