Ethnic Design Collection Reto Zehnder

The black terracotta stove covered with leather and reptile skin is straightened by lacing with vegetable fibres. The long reed pipe ends with a metal beak. The origin of this pipe is not clearly established, most probabnly from the Somba tribe in Northern Benin.

This is a magnificent anthropomorphic pipe head from Cameroon, probably Bamoun. A clay head with an ivory stem. An extraordinary and rare piece. These pipes have been the royal attributes of chieftainship. Perfect condition besides a small chip on the upper lips, and a missing mouthpiece.

Typical Nilotic tobacco pipe, elbow type, clay bowl, long wooden stem and gourd mouthpiece, Sudanese Upper Nile, maybe Djour tribe.

A beautiful ancient clay pipe from Cameroon. Nicely decorated pipe stem,  pipe head with a broken "nose".

This is a lovely old worked and painted leather bag, worn by the Tuareg and Fulani of Muritania. These bags contain normally tobacco, a pipe and tweezers and needles to remove thorns, they are also used as wallets. Within the Tuareg they are usually the women who tanned and decorated the skin.

Small, new Tuareg "ǝlbayt" snuffbox, with a small very and beautiful fine tobacco pipe or cigarette holder.

Turkana snuff bag and horn salt keeper. The Turkana have a liking for snuff and salt is a 'chaser' for the snuff.  Both vessels are tightened with two sliding pot metal pieces. A tweezer to remove thorns is also attached.

The exact origine of the pipe is not known. 

This is a very old brass pipe, with a well-sculpted furnace and stem. it has a small mouthpiece in wood.  Due to its long use the pie head has a small hole. While Musée d'Ethnographie de Neucâtel (MEN) attributes a similar article to the Ashanti tribe in Ghana and some other sources link them to the Mossi in Burkina Faso, The present pipe has been collected in Northern Cameroon.

Beautiful decorated pipe head probaly from Souther Cameroon (Bamoun ? ). Signs of long use, original repairs, a extraordinary object for collection.

Nice black clay pipe head, with fine decoration. Some chips on the lower end (see picture). 

A small black clay  pipe head.

Made out of black hardwood with a metal inlay for the furnace.

The pipe head is in reddish clay. the lowe part (feet) is partly broken, see picture.

Turkana snuff bag and horn salt keeper. The Turkana have a liking for snuff and salt is a 'chaser' for the snuff.  Both vessels are tightened with two sliding pot metal pieces. 

The Tuareg "ǝlbayt" snuffbox is made in a purely Mauritanian style.The snuffbox  has  three pockets with flaps. These "wargāt" leaves bear the names of the various objects that are stored in the snuffbox: the tobacco leaf, the tinder, the lighter and the pipe cleaner. 

The Tuareg "ǝlbayt" snuffbox is made by leatherworkers in a purely Mauritanian style.The snuffbox  has  two pockets with flaps. These "wargāt" leaves bear the names of the various objects that are stored in the snuffbox, it closes with a small leather cord. 

The pipe head is in perfect condition; its origin is not clearly defined, but most probably Cameroon. The furnace has a lovely patina and three engravings.

       The Ikinonko, or round pipe is used by ordinary men and women.

The Tuareg "ǝlbayt" snuffbox is made by leatherworkers in a purely Mauritanian style.The snuffbox  has  four pockets with flaps. These "wargāt" leaves bear the names of the various objects that are stored in the snuffbox, it closes with a small leather cord. 

Beautiful ancient pipe head from the Caeroon highlands, collected in situ around 1975. In perfect condition, but signs of long use, tar residus and nice patina.

One long (170 mm) metal pipe with ints cleaning rod; one pipe (220 mm) made of wood, bone, brass, copper and  white metal: one pipe cut out of a bone with metal inlay; one black wooden pipe. 

Old pipe head nicely decorated, with signs of long use. The furnace has been locally repaored, see picture.

Tobacco pipe from Rwanda made of earthenware with a slender funnel-shaped bowl at the bottom ending in a sharp point. Undecorated black baked pottery, a small chip on the edge of the furnace (see picture). The Indende, or long pipe is used by wealthy people, while the round pipe is for ordinary people.

Unknown origin, mayce from Northern Cameroon

The Tuareg "ǝlbayt" snuffbox is probably made by leatherworkers of Tidjikja  in a purely Mauritanian style.The snuffbox  has  four pockets with flaps. These "wargāt" leaves bear the names of the various objects that are stored in the snuffbox: the tobacco leaf, the tinder, the lighter and the pipe cleaner. The snuffbox ends with a pompom of leather "hair" and closes with a small leather cord. With the snuffbox comes a pipe made out of bone, black wood, copper and white metal.

Tobacco pipe from Rwanda made of earthenware with a slender funnel-shaped bowl at the bottom ending in a sharp point. Undecorated black baked pottery, a small chip on the edge of the furnace (see picture). The Indende, or long pipe is used by wealthy people, while the round pipe is for ordinary people.