Since cigarettes and tobacco is a fiercely debated subject during the lockdown it is only fitting to highlight an item in our collection that relates to the tobacco industry.
Snuff, a preparation of powdered and processed tobacco, has been widely used in Africa since Europeans introduced tobacco in the 16th century. Whether smoked in a pipe or taken as snuff from a spoon, the consumption of tobacco became a social and spiritual act among African cultures.
Snuff was usually carried in a small container made from a simple gourd or fruit shell. Although highly personal, they were often made to be worn in conspicuous ways, such as pushed into the hair or tucked into an armband or a head-ring, hung round the neck or waist, or even inserted into a pierced earlobe.
This Xhosa snuff box housed in the Anthropology collection of the National Museum takes on the shape of a bovine and is made from dried intestines and blood. The materials were formed round a mould (of clay, sand or even wax) and left to harden. The mould was removed through the large hole (the head) to create the container. The lid is decorated with white (associated with spiritual purity) and blue beads.
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