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Event Details |
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Bida: glass beads and more – 17-18 March 2007
Well, it turned out to be a
one-day trip, but it was chock full!
Joining Kyle and me were Nancy and Kirk, and Hope and Archibong. Our driver was Tom.
We
set out at just after 7am with sandwiches, fruit salad, goodies, drinks, and
endless amounts of water! Tom did an
excellent job following the route, and, with a few stops to ask directions, we
were soon in Lapai meeting the Duwatsu family who carve beautiful multi-panel
doors, multi-legged Nupe tables, and wonderfully decorated yam pounding pots:
Carving a yam pounding pot
Seniors and juniors: Duwatsu Muhammadu, wife, and grandson
Elder
brother Adu Duwatsu (on right)
From the left:
Isah Duwatsu, Kyle, Jibrin Duwatsu, Roman, unkown, Kirk, unknown, Adu
Duwatsu.
After
some serious negotiating, we walked out with several Nupe stools and some
wonderful new friends!
Then,
it was time to go on to the town of Bida where we hoped to turn in our cases of
colored wine bottles, and come out with some beads, brass, and aluminum
decorated wares.
Bead makers’ huts
Pounding the brass
Making decorated brass and
aluminum ware
Finally,
we made it to the Nupe/Fulani market in Bida,
and
then to Alhaji Tanko’s shop to buy Nupe fabrics and weaving sticks
(meter/yard-long decorated shuttlecocks).
As
it was imperative to shop till we drop first, finally it was time for
lunch! Oh, those sandwiches, drinks, and
goodies from Oasis bakery sure did taste good!
The
road back took us through Minna,
village, storeroom, grain silos, and Tom.
and
we were in
The hoard: in front – fabric, glass beads, aluminum
spoons, weaving stick;
in back – multi-legged
stool, brass pot
Roman