Kaakol und Eletel Zur kulturellen Biografie zweier Objekte der Woɗaaɓe-Frauen in Niger.

Drawing on the classic methodological approach of Kopytoff and Appadurai (1986), this paper examines the "cultural biography" of two remarkable, yet hardly known articles of female wealth, the kaakol and the closely related eletel of nomadic pastoralist Woɗaaɓe women in Niger. Based on both written sources and ethnographic fieldwork, the author analyzes the history, symbolic content and function of the object in the context of social practice. Originally an aesthetically arranged bundle of dowry items, notably a large number of decorative calabashes which are never to be used, but constitute a considerable source of female prestige, the kaakol has developed into an object of its own and has acquired considerable symbolic value. Recent cultural change has led to complex transformations of the object, but rather than losing its social significance it has developed into an emblematic cultural item and symbol of ethnic identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]