Women's Nook
Way back in 1992 I saw the most amazing ethnic jewellery in an Australian Vogue photo shoot. It was a collection of antique Bedouin silver and copal amber from North Africa and the Middle East, supplied by Lynneeta Darmody. I met up with her then and have been to many of her jewellery exhibitions over the years.
As a child I devoured stories about Egypt from The National Geographic magazine. I imagined exotic locations filled with exotic people finding exotic artefacts in the sand. Later I read wonderful books, such as The Wilder Shores of Love, about women travellers to the region. Even later still, my interest in food led me to Paula Wolfert, Claudia Rodin and Elizabeth David, all of whom write about Middle Eastern food and culture. And I was surprised and thrilled when I discovered that Grace Pundyk’s journey on the honey trail started with her love of sidr honey from Yemen. Â
I am constantly struck by how much women’s lives are enriched by following a passion. They are the first to acknowledge that it may not have been their expected or planned life, but they exude a confidence and enthusiasm that is inspiring. The trick seems to be their openness to the opportunities that come their way. It’s a personal passion of mine to interview many such women for our nook so that we can all be inspired.
I caught up with Lynneeta recently, and we chatted over a late afternoon cup of tea as she prepared for her latest exhibition. She is warm and engaging, with a passion for life that shows in her eyes and the way she talks about everything, especially her favourite subjects – Egypt and ethnic jewellery. I hope you enjoy her story … so far!
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I began by asking Lynneeta why she makes ethnic jewellery:Â
Since childhood, history, natural science, tribes and travel have held a fascination for me. Such early passions eventually led me to a MA (Hons) in Anthropology and Women’s Studies.Â
As a young adult I immersed myself in ethnic cultures, studying the ceremonial context and relevant folklore of unique beaded fabrics and metallic adornment. I have collected many pieces over the years, especially in the Middle East and Asia.
My collection has grown out of an inherent attraction and natural curiosity for ethnic artefacts. The need to save and document specific pieces, once revered and of real consequence to an ancient culture, soon became apparent when I observed their decline, and disappearance, in an increasingly westernised world.
Rather than just look and hold special pieces I wanted to create my own symbolic items of jewellery. There was a passion to wear them, to absorb their ancient energy and essence. By drawing on these elements, by recycling them into a new necklace design, I felt I was refreshing the life of the amulet and thereby giving it a new power and energy to sustain me.
My next purpose was to provide such objects of adornment for others that were both ethnic and elegant; objects that make a statement and are a constant source of interest and conversation. These items are valued and passed on as family heirlooms, along with their researched and validated history.
There are many collectors now, mostly from Germany, France and America. I am but one of many, and the market is just about depleted. Many of the broken and lesser quality pieces left behind have been melted down for scrap. These amulets are not desired by the local people and have been frowned upon in the past as being linked to being backward or non-Islamic.
What is an amulet?
It’s an object that has a symbolism bestowed upon it by its owner or wearer. It can be a found object like a stone or shell, or one created by man from metal or fabric. It may be a pebble in a pocket or it might be a ring, a locket or a ‘lucky charm’, but it carries a value far beyond the visual or the financial to its possessor.
The wearer feels that she is safe and strong and protected from danger or illness, or lucky in love, whatever the case may be, by having this special object upon her body. The tradition of charms and amulets goes back to the beginning of man.
‘The very old, well worn silver amulet pictured is from southern India. Snakes have been worshipped in India for thousands of years. This amulet would be used as protection against snake bite but more importantly they are seen as a phallic symbol, a form of fertility, especially in the hope of producing a male child.’
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What is ethnographic jewellery?
Ethnographic jewellery relates to a cultural group or tribe, worn in conjunction with their traditional clothing. It is unique to them, with their own designs, motifs, methods of manufacture, ceremonial use and folklore. In studying the jewellery you learn so much about the culture that sustains it.
It also refers to the adornments on traditional clothing since many decorative artefacts and amulets are actually stitched to apparel such as hats, bodices, belts and the like.
Where did you begin your jewellery collection?
About 30 years ago I lived in Egypt for 4 years with my family. In order to survive in such a different culture and lead a normal life – such as shopping for food and communicating with the local people – I had to learn Arabic. Very basic of course!
At the markets there were shops selling oddities, curios and artefacts. I became familiar with the local merchants. When I showed a keen interest in what they had to sell, and also in their way of life and culture, they would share with me the history and folklore attached to the items I found of interest. They would also suggest other possible sources where I might find others. They were, and still are, marvellous to me.Â
And after Egypt?
After Egypt we moved to Los Angeles for two years. I joined the LA Bead Society. We shared our ethnic and tribal knowledge and also the items we had collected. This helped me validate my collection that, up till then, was based more on gut feeling and an innate love of my treasures, than any knowledge of their significance. I learned to thread correctly and in fact, sold my first piece whilst living there. It was hard to let it go!
As a family we then moved to Borneo. I became immersed in documenting traditional beads in their cultural context within Sarawak. I wrote the results of my research in articles that appeared in local Malaysian magazines and newspapers. They were also published in Ornament, an American magazine that covers textiles, beads and such craft.
Perhaps this early research into ethnic traditions, especially since it was obvious that these special and unique items of adornment were fast becoming redundant in their threatened cultures, convinced me to start cataloguing my personal collection and ultimately led me to my thesis.
Tell me about your thesis…
I was living in Sydney and Macquarie University offered me a scholarship to write a thesis after seeing my collection of Middle Eastern jewellery; especially my artefacts from the Egyptian Zar Ceremony and the research I had already done on them. I had just divorced so the opportunity to escape to university along with my daughter, who had just finished school, was perfect timing.
I returned to Egypt, sometimes up to three times a year, for nearly five years to observe the Zar ceremony, a particular women’s ceremony that has now sadly almost disappeared from Egyptian culture. In order to observe the ceremony I was dressed in black and veiled, but my face was uncovered.
I sat quietly with the ladies over the years, sharing numerous glasses of tea, smiles and small talk. It took almost all those years to gain the women’s confidence to trust me; to see that I was not a journalist and was genuinely interested in them. Only then was I allowed to video the ceremony. This was an immense honour and I feel a great responsibility to care for their story.
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The second part of Lynneeta’s interview, in which she expands on the fascinating Zar ceremony and travelling in the Middle East will be published on womensnook.com soon …
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