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Ceremonial basket adorned with cowrie shells

Object Details

Caption
This cowrie shell basket was created by artisans in Mossuril, Mozambique, in 2015 to hold soil from the region, which was then deposited at the site of the São José shipwreck. After a solemn ceremony on May 30, 2015, the village and tribal elder in Mossuril, Evano Nhogache, entrusted this basket to Lonnie Bunch, instructing him to place the enclosed soil as close to the wreck site as possible to symbolically reconnect those Mozambicans who were lost with their homeland. He then asked that the basket become part of the collections of the NMAAHC. On June 2, 2015, at a second memorial in Clifton, the soil was poured into the ocean near the wreck site. The slave ship São José Paquete Africa sank on December 3, 1794 off the coast of South Africa. It had left Mozambique 24 days prior bound for Maranhão, Brazil.
Description
A basket created by artisans in Mossuril, Mozambique for ceremonial transport of soil from Mozambique to the site of the São José shipwreck in Cape Town, South Africa. The round basket is in two parts, a base and lid, and is made from worked plant material. Cowrie shells placed closely together adorn and cover the outside of both the top and bottom of basket.
Date
2015
Created by
Unidentified
Place made
Mossuril, Nampula, Mozambique, Africa
Place used
Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa, Africa
Topic
African American
Africa
Craftsmanship
Design
Folklife
Middle Passage
Ornamentation
Trans Atlantic slave trade
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification
Slavery and Freedom Objects
Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design
Weapons and Ammunition
Exhibition
In Slavery's Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World
On View
NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse, C 050
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2016.168ab
Type
baskets
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
fiber and cowrie shell
Dimensions
H x W x D: 5 5/8 × 6 1/2 × 6 1/2 in. (14.3 × 16.5 × 16.5 cm)
Record ID
nmaahc_2016.168ab
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5c1dcaef5-0d51-4e34-8df7-27f2ee6dd95a

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Thanks to Verizon for support of this Our Shared Future: Reckoning with our Racial Past project.
This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
Thanks to Verizon for support of this Our Shared Future: Reckoning with our Racial Past project.
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International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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