Collier Mpooro Engorio. Rendille ethnic Kenya

The body adornment has an important place among pastoral peoples.
This type of collar, quite rare on the market comes from the ethnic Rendille.
In the book " ostentatious Africa " by A. Fisher on page 39 we learn that this type of necklace is a necklace given as a wedding present, and whose name is Mpooro Engorio.
This is a wedding gift of the most popular, which enhances and brings into focus the face of the wearer.
This is usually a bundle of elephant hair and / or giraffe hair, mixed with vegetable fibers (doum palm fibers) forming a ring, kept on the back with strips of cotton fabric coated with grease and red ocher.
The front section is structured by a vertical band beaded son hiding a maze of metal Now the spacing of hair.
Some hairs are braided.
As usual, the color scheme, the type of collar, identifies regions of origin and rank of the wearer.
superb condition
circa 1900
32 cm x 28 cm