Various antique (some possibly ancient) Pumtek with end damage.
Friday, 16 October 2009
Friday, 18 September 2009
Wednesday, 9 September 2009
Tuesday, 8 September 2009
Monday, 7 September 2009
Sunday, 6 September 2009
Saturday, 5 September 2009
Friday, 28 August 2009
Thursday, 27 August 2009
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
Tuesday, 25 August 2009
A selection of new decorated agate beads from China or Taiwan. Similar designs are seen on ancient stone beads found in Burma (often labelled as Pyu beads) and the Himalayan regions. These designs are also seen on Pumtek beads. size approx 14 mm
Tuesday, 11 August 2009
Friday, 7 August 2009
Monday, 3 August 2009
Pumtek beads sometimes turn up on strands mixed with Indo-Tibetan beads. This bead was sourced in Nepal.
Monday, 16 March 2009
Friday, 13 March 2009
Excerpt from 'The Lakhers' by N. E. PARRY (published 1932)
"Men who possess them wear necklaces of pumteks, a black-and-white bead, sometimes round and sometimes oval or flat in shape. The round beads resemble peppermint bulls'-eyes. Old necklaces of these beads are very highly valued and treated as heirlooms. It is almost impossible to buy them, as no Lakher will part with them unless in the very last resort. Modern pumtek beads are imported from Mandalay, but I do not know where they are made. They are of very different quality from the old beads, and it is easy to distinguish a new bead from an old one. New beads fetch up to ten rupees each, according to their quality. Legend relates that old pumteks were the droppings of a goat. When the goat's owner fed him well, the goat produced pumteks of great excellence ; if the quality of the food fell off, the pumteks likewise deteriorated."
Friday, 6 March 2009
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
Friday, 20 February 2009
Excerpt from the Hand Book on the Haka Chin Customs by W. R. HEAD (Published 1917)
"Tradition says that a man possessed a goat and according to the food he gave it, its dung became pumtek beads. Good food produced good beads and vice versa. Mahooya beads are highly prized. Now-a-days they come from Gangaw in the Pakku District, but, where they are bought, the Chins do not know : some of the modern ones are of just as good quality as the old beads : there are ten varieties round, flat and cylindrical they are of a black and white black background with white stripes. They vary from annas 8 to Rs. 100, but heirlooms are priceless and cannot be bought. Lyen Mo of Sangte possesses the most, but the best specimens belong to the Sangpi family. Lyen Dun, Chief of Klang Klang Tribe, also possesses many beads.
It is customary for Chiefs owning very special beads (or property) of good quality to hold a feast, and, in front of the assembled company, to forbid his heirs to part with certain beads and gongs and order that they must be kept in the hmunfi : the result is that no Chins will dispose or part with these heirlooms if he did so, ill-luck would befall and he would die and, further, his wife become barren."
N.B.The above report by W. R. Head was published in 1917 and mentions that 'modern' Pumtek (or Mahooya) beads were available in Burma at this time. This clearly shows that some of the more recent Pumtek were being made prior to the 1920s, however, it is still unclear when this production started. It is clear that many Pumtek show signs of being much older than early 20th century manufacture, but would not fall into the 'ancient' category. We do know that Pumtek were being made in the 1920s, however, this was not the only period of production for these beads. Ancient Pumtek are believed to date somewhere between 1000 and 2500 years old , and are often referred to as Pyu beads. However, there is a huge variety of ancient Pyu beads (including those made from glass and other types of stone), so I refer to Pumtek from the Pyu period as 'ancient Pumtek' for clarity and simplicity. It is also important to note that many beads that are given the name 'Pyu' (or believed to be from the Pyu period)may in fact be from a much earlier time.
Above: An heirloom Pumtek necklace (shown in 'The Lakhers' by N. E. PARRY - published 1932) with many of the beads likely to have been made from agate or a more opalised material. If Parry's information is accurate, the name Pumtek was used for all types of decorated stone beads that were important to the Chin tribes. It was not a name exclusively given to fossil wood beads, although many collectors are doing this today.
Pumtek = A decorated stone bead made from silicified/opalised wood and in some cases agate, and found mainly on heirloom necklaces of the Chin tribe. The earliest Pumtek (often called Pyu beads) possibly date to 400 BCE. Early 20th century Burmese bead makers also adopted the name Pumtek for their own newly created fossil wood beads. These beads were designed to replicate the Pumtek found on their much prized heirloom necklaces. In the 1990s, Burmese Pumtek production started once again and has continued to the present day.
"Tradition says that a man possessed a goat and according to the food he gave it, its dung became pumtek beads. Good food produced good beads and vice versa. Mahooya beads are highly prized. Now-a-days they come from Gangaw in the Pakku District, but, where they are bought, the Chins do not know : some of the modern ones are of just as good quality as the old beads : there are ten varieties round, flat and cylindrical they are of a black and white black background with white stripes. They vary from annas 8 to Rs. 100, but heirlooms are priceless and cannot be bought. Lyen Mo of Sangte possesses the most, but the best specimens belong to the Sangpi family. Lyen Dun, Chief of Klang Klang Tribe, also possesses many beads.
It is customary for Chiefs owning very special beads (or property) of good quality to hold a feast, and, in front of the assembled company, to forbid his heirs to part with certain beads and gongs and order that they must be kept in the hmunfi : the result is that no Chins will dispose or part with these heirlooms if he did so, ill-luck would befall and he would die and, further, his wife become barren."
N.B.The above report by W. R. Head was published in 1917 and mentions that 'modern' Pumtek (or Mahooya) beads were available in Burma at this time. This clearly shows that some of the more recent Pumtek were being made prior to the 1920s, however, it is still unclear when this production started. It is clear that many Pumtek show signs of being much older than early 20th century manufacture, but would not fall into the 'ancient' category. We do know that Pumtek were being made in the 1920s, however, this was not the only period of production for these beads. Ancient Pumtek are believed to date somewhere between 1000 and 2500 years old , and are often referred to as Pyu beads. However, there is a huge variety of ancient Pyu beads (including those made from glass and other types of stone), so I refer to Pumtek from the Pyu period as 'ancient Pumtek' for clarity and simplicity. It is also important to note that many beads that are given the name 'Pyu' (or believed to be from the Pyu period)may in fact be from a much earlier time.
Above: An heirloom Pumtek necklace (shown in 'The Lakhers' by N. E. PARRY - published 1932) with many of the beads likely to have been made from agate or a more opalised material. If Parry's information is accurate, the name Pumtek was used for all types of decorated stone beads that were important to the Chin tribes. It was not a name exclusively given to fossil wood beads, although many collectors are doing this today.
Pumtek = A decorated stone bead made from silicified/opalised wood and in some cases agate, and found mainly on heirloom necklaces of the Chin tribe. The earliest Pumtek (often called Pyu beads) possibly date to 400 BCE. Early 20th century Burmese bead makers also adopted the name Pumtek for their own newly created fossil wood beads. These beads were designed to replicate the Pumtek found on their much prized heirloom necklaces. In the 1990s, Burmese Pumtek production started once again and has continued to the present day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
