Anthropology Artifacts Collection | Wheaton College Archives & Special Collections

Collection Overview

Title: Anthropology Artifacts Collection

ID: WC-Anth/Main

Extent: 0.0

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The anthropology artifacts collection contains a wide range of items that document the material culture from around the world and was received as gifts. The artifact descriptions were created from existing information created near the time of acquisition as well as research conducted by students.

Box and Folder Listing

Box 28

Item 233: FG-18-7 -- Faifai

Grass mats also known as faifai used as covers for baskets, bowls, strainers and trays for drying food. The circular mat includes the colors red, black, tan and green. (also see FG 18 6 and FG 18 7)

Additional Information: See other items of the Tanis Collection in the Archives of the Anthropology Department at Wheaton College, IL.

Culture: Nigeria, West Africa

Culture Area: Africa

Date Acquired: 1962 November 1

Dimensions: 35.5 cm in diameter

Donor: Carl Tanis

General Area of the World: Fulani

Material: Grass, palm leaves

Outline of Cultural Materials Code: 285 mats/basketry

Outline of World Cultures Code: FF3

References Cited: Ahmed, S. Gimba 1962 Grass Weaving. In Nigeria Magazine, 74:12. Tanis, Carl.1963 Notes From the Tanis Collection. Archived Materia, Anthropology Department, Wheaton College, IL.

Use and Background: According to notes from the Tanis collection, these grass mats, or faifai in the local vernacular, are used as covers for bowls or baskets, sieves, and trays for drying food. Faifai range from 4 to 18 inches in diameter and are either shaped in a concave or flat manner. Palm tree fronds are cut and dried and then stripped to thin lengths (Ahmed 1962:12). The stripes are then woven together. These woven pieces are then sewn together in a round shape. The palm fronds are typically dyed red, black, tan, and green; these colorful strips are then woven into different designs. Each dye is obtained from natural resources in the area: red comes from boiling the sheaths of a particular type of guinea corn stalk, black is from an obscure guinea corn stalk. In order to dye the palm frond before they are dried they are first soaked in river or swamp mud for five to fourteen days. After this they are boiled in a coloring solution (Tanis 1963). The monotony of the procedure is the most arduous part (Tanis 1963).

Item 234: FG-18-7-entry2 -- Faifai

Grass mats also known as faifai used as covers for baskets, bowls, strainers and trays for drying food. The circular mat includes the colors red, black, tan and green. (also see FG 18-6 and FG 18-7)

References Cited: S. Gimba Ahmed, "Grass Weaving," Nigeria Magazine, XXX, No. 74 (Sept.,1962), p.12.

Tanis, Carl 1963 Notes from the Tanis Collection. Archived material, Anthropology Department. Wheaton College, IL.

Culture: Fulani

Culture Area: Nigeria

Date Acquired: 1962 November 1

Dimensions: 35.5 cm diameter

Donor: Tanis

General Area of the World: Africa

Material: grass, palm leaves

Outline of Cultural Materials Code: 285 mats/basketry

Outline of World Cultures Code: [undetermined]

Use and Background: According to notes from the Tanis collection, these grass mats, also known as faifai, are used as covers for bowls, baskets, sieves and trays for drying food. Faifai range from 4 to 18 inches in diameter and are either shaped in a concave or flat manner. Palm trees fronds are cut and dried and then stripped to thin lengths (Ahmed 1962:12). The woven strips are sewn together in a round shape. The colors of the design are red, black, tan, and green. The red color is obtained by boiling the sheaths of a certain type of guinea corn stalk, the black is from another dye from an obscure guinea corn stalk. The fronds are first soaked in a river or swamp mud for five to fourteen days and then is taken out and boiled in a solution of the coloring substance. The monotony of the procedure is the most arduous part (Tanis).