Fulani Blacksmith, Sierra Leone, 1834
Titled, Foulah Blacksmith, the author writes that in the Foulah [Fulani] quarter of Freetown, artisans can be seen employed in various trades. Sitting upon the ground, the Foulah [blacksmith] holds his strange rude bellows between his legs, and contrives to heat his metal in a little heap of glowing charcoal. The bellows comprised of gourds covered with skin are connected together by two hollow bamboos inserted into their sides and uniting at an angle. The construction of the bellows, how they are used and worked, and the appearance of the blacksmith are described; the blacksmith is also the whitesmith, gunsmith, armourer, gold-worker, jeweler, and silversmith of the place, unlike the English blacksmith (pp. 128-130).
Image Title
Fulani Blacksmith, Sierra Leone, 1834
RegID
SI-OB-566
Date
1834
Title
Fulani Blacksmith, Sierra Leone, 1834
Source
F. Harrison Rankin, The white man's grave: a visit to Sierra Leone, in 1834 (London, 1836),Vol. 1, facing p. 128.
Language
English
Item sets
Pre-Colonial Africa: Society, Polity, Culture
Spatial Coverage
Africa--Rivers
Reproduced In
F. Harrison Rankin, The white man's grave: a visit to Sierra Leone, in 1834 (London, 1836),Vol. 1, facing p. 128.
Researchers
Handler, Jerome; Tuite, Michael; Randall Ericson; Henry B. Lovejoy Graduate Research Assistants: Tiffany Beebe; Travis May
Last Updated
27-Dec-12
Identifier
Rankin1