Mandingo Sandal

One of a pair of Mandingo leather sandals. They have thick layered leather soles, with tooled red leather straps, held together with a large black button, bordered with plaited grass and leather. They were collected by the Church Missionary Society, and though the provenance given to them in the British Museum catalogue notes they are Nigerian Hausa, they are more likely to be Sierra Leonean. Mandingo was often used in the 19th century to refer to Muslim elites in the north of Sierra Leone.

Further Information

  • Type: Costume, dress
  • Object: Mandingo Sandal
  • Materials: Leather, animal skin, Vegetable, organic fibre
  • Culture Group: Mandingo
  • Dimensions: 130mm [L] x 85mm [W] x 40mm [C]
  • Production Date: Pre 1952
  • Associated Places: Unknown
  • Associated People: Church Missionary Society [Collector]
  • Museum: British Museum
  • Accession Number: BM:Af.1952.7.6.b

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