Political status ornaments

Head ornaments, Tuareg, Niger

Badge, Zimbabwe

Left: Collected by F.J. Rennell Rodd in 1922, donated by him in 1923; 1923.36.44–45
Right: Collected by Charles Swaisland and donated by him in 1989; 1989.4.1The two head ornaments are made of tin with repousse designs. Known as terut, they were worn by noble Tuareg men who fastened them to the front of their tagelmust (turban) with the thin leather straps. The tagelmust consisted of a long strip of a very light, thin fabric, often dyed with indigo, wrapped around the head and the face, so that only the eyes and the upper part of the nose showed. Because of this garment the Tuareg are also called the 'Blue People' due to the indigo staining their skin blue, or the 'People of the Veil', even though only men wear the tagelmust, is veil, not women.

The Tuareg are a people encompassing a number of tribes with social distinctions between them, some regarded as noble and others as servile. Ornaments like terut proclaims membership of the nobility, a status inherited through the mother, because children inherit their tribal affiliation from the mother's side rather than the father's (a matrilineal system). Every Tuareg community is ruled by a chief who holds supreme political and judicial authority and regulates all relations between his nobles and vassals. However, in his national role and relations with neighbour tribes, his decisions have to be approved by a committee that includes noblemen.

The brass badge decorated with a silver British coat of arms also signalled high political status. It is from Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) and was given to a government-appointed chief during the colonial era as a badge of office. There were two approaches to the administration of European colonies: 'direct rule' and 'indirect rule'. Direct rule – favoured by the Germans, French, Portuguese, Belgians and the British in Southern Rhodesia – worked by setting up a central government that conducted all its business (such as tax collecting and the dispensing of justice) through appointed agents. The government appointed salaried headmen and chiefs, regardless of any political systems that already existed and any indigenous authorities usually assumed an inferior position. The British however, generally preferred 'indirect rule' as their interests were more focussed on trade than assimilation. Under this system in Northern Rhodesia, chiefs already in power were recognised by the British administration and were encouraged to build-up self governing institutions, despite being subjected to British taxes and laws. This badge would have been presented to a Northern Rhodesian official on this basis. Although a more cooperative model, indirect rule was not without its problems and led to increased divisions between ethnic groups in given areas.