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Buffalo Amulets

The Swat Valley region of Pakistan is famous for its wood carving. This example is an amulet for the protection of buffalo or other livestock. It has a hole through which a cord would be passed to hang it round the animal's neck. The shape and the carving would identify the livestock owner.

EAMMM 2021.1.2

Carved wooden amulet, round with roughly triangular top piece with a hole for a cord to hang it around an animal's neck. The front has a swirly pattern.     Carved wooden amulet, round with roughly triangular top piece with a hole for a cord to hang it around an animal's neck.

Material: wood
Height: 83 mm
width: 55 mm
Date: 20th century CE
Place: Swat Valley Region, Pakistan; collected in Norwich.

Carved wooden amulet, round with roughly triangular top piece with a hole for a cord to hang it around an animal's neck.     Carved wooden amulet, round with roughly triangular top piece with a hole for a cord to hang it around an animal's neck. There is no pattern carved on this example.

Material: wood
Height: 106 mm
width: 60 mm
Date: 20th century CE
Place: Swat Valley Region, Pakistan; collected in Norwich.

The active element of the amulet is actually concealed inside. A hole was made in the back and a sacred object inserted. This would probably be a verse from the Quran, but could be soil from a holy place or some other powerful holy item. The excavated wood was then replaced and sealed with wax. The illustration below shows the backs of the two amulets with their seals intact.

Two carved wooden amulets showing the places where holes were made, sacred items inserted and then resealed.

The plain example shown here was sold surplus to requirements in 2019 by the South Asia Collection, which is a fine collection of South Asian arts and crafts in Norwich housed alongside the shop, Country and Eastern. Its proprietors brought a number of these amulets back from Swat, along with other craft products, in 1979. The decorated example is unprovenanced, but probably came via the same route.

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