The Making of Bikini Glass in Bida, Nigeria: Ethnography, Chemical Composition, and Archaeology

• Published in: The African archaeological review Vol. 40; no. 2; pp. 397 - 424
• Main Authors: Lababidi, Lesley, Babalola, Abidemi Babatunde, Gratuze, Bernard, Rolland, Joëlle, Véron, Emmanuel, Canizares, Aurélien
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-06-2023; Springer Nature B.V; Springer Verlag
• Subjects: Anthropology; Archaeology; Archaeology and Prehistory; Ethnography; History, Philosophy and Sociology of Sciences; Humanities and Social Sciences; Original Article; Raw materials; Regional and Cultural Studies; Social Anthropology and ethnology; Social Sciences; Nigeria; Ethnography; Bida; Glass working; Nigeria; Indigenous technology; Glass making
• ISSN: 0263-0338; 1572-9842
• DOI: 10.1007/s10437-022-09494-6

This paper discusses the process, prospects, and challenges of making
bikini
glass in Bida (Nupeland), central Nigeria. The Masagá glassmakers of Bida provide the ideal case study for investigating the production of
bikini
. Nineteenth-century Arab and European writings have described glassmaking in Nupeland; however, with the exception of the study carried out by Peter Robertshaw and his colleagues in 2009, there is no work that identifies the raw materials and formula used to produce
bikini
glass. Our recent ethnographic work at Bida provided the opportunities to collect raw glass, beads, and unfused raw material for
bikini
glass as well as vitrified furnace wall fragments for analysis. We present results of binocular observation and chemical compositional analysis conducted on the raw materials, glass products, and furnace remains to understand the mineralogical and chemical characteristics of various materials connected with the production of
bikini
. From the manufacture of glass to that of glass ornaments, bracelets, and beads, the documentation of the work of Masagá glassmakers provides new data for the history of glass and its techniques. This information is relevant for understanding glassworking in the past. The paper also addresses issues relating to migration, technology transfer, and culture contact between Nupeland and its neighbors in the Lower Niger region. It argues that the investigation of the production of
bikini
glass in Bida is essential for expanding our knowledge of the archaeology of glassmaking and glassworking in Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.