Thank you Cliff and Hugo, yes, my worry has been that it might be this sort of
armlet. Without further descriptors, I am really torn now how best to interpret
it. I will footnote the various possibilities in the text.
Warmly,selma
On Thursday, 18 January 2024 at 20:10:16 GMT, Cliff Pereira
<[email protected]> wrote:
Hi Selma.
I am very familiar with the term "manila" through my many years of work with
MOA-UBC.
Although English sources translate them as shackles, they are actually a kind
of thick bangle or more precisely "bracelet" that was usually made of copper or
bronze and were exported for the slave trade among other trades. They served as
a currency throughout the coast of Western Africa from at least the sixteenth
century. There were specific exchange rates for these against cloth, iron bars,
livestock, cowrie shells and people.
In 19th Zanzibar it was fashionable for rich Swahili and Arab ladies as well as
some South Asians to wear chunkier and more elaborate versions of manilas made
of silver. No doubt this jewelry also served as a show of wealth. Literally
wearing the chequebook.
I have seen archive images of Zanzibari ladies wearing the ornate silver
(hollow) versions of the manilas. This is what the reference is to.
CliffFrom: 'Carvalho' via Goa-Research-Net <[email protected]>
Sent: January 17, 2024 9:24 PM
To: Goa-Research-Net <[email protected]>
Subject: [GRN] manilhas de oiro Hello members,
Please tell me what this 19th century piece of jewellery is. It translates as
gold shackles, but surely Goan women were not wearing shackles even if it was
1800 Zanzibar :-)
Take care,selma--
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