Olbene
Cured Hippopotamus Hide
Glass Bead Adornment
Maasai People
Kenya
Mid 20th Century
Collected by naturalist and philanthropist, Eli Weiss in the 1980’s.
18” tall x 15” wide x 6” deep
Among the Maasai such bags are known as Olbene.
Used by Maasai women to hold water, jewelry or other valuable belongs.
These bags were passed down through generations to hold important objects collected by their families and became part of a bride's dowry.
Maasai are a Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting central and southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. The Maasai speak a Nilo-Saharan language. They inhabit the African Great Lakes region and arrived via the South Sudan. Most Nilotic speakers in the area, including the Maasai, the Samburu and the Kalenjin, are pastoralists, and are famous for their fearsome reputations as warriors and cattle-rustlers.
A fine addition to any serious collection.
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Great Earth LLC
Carbondale, Colorado
Representing an eclectic collection of Ethnographic Art & Craft - Lovingly Assembled.
Lifetimes of travel, passion, activism, philanthropy & genuine humanity lead to the accumulation of these wonderful objects spanning the great breadth of our World.
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