FLY WHISK

Object/Artifact

-

St. Joseph Museums

Name/Title

FLY WHISK

Entry/Object ID

1968.1.238 B

Description

BEADED HANDLE

Made/Created

Place

Continent

Africa

Ethnography

Cultural Region

Region

South Africa

Continent

Africa

Culture/Tribe

South African
African

Lexicon

Legacy Lexicon

Object Name

FLY WHISK

Parts

Count

1

Material

Beads

Condition

Overall Condition

Good

Research Notes

Research Type

Researcher

Notes

This fly whisk is created using native grasses and glass beads. Fly whisks served two purposes in African cultures: they were functional tools to deter flies but were also used as prestige items, particularly fly whisks created using hair and carved wood. Whisks like these, with the patterned beading and indigenous grasses, were found in literally every corner of Africa. There are examples that look very similar to this found in Egypt, Ghana, Ethiopia, and South Africa. Blue and green seem to be a common color for the beading.