A. G. Maisey
30th July 2014, 05:19 AM
In the old days in Jawa and Madura women used to wear these around their ankles.
Last time I saw anybody wearing them was an elderly lady in a village in Madura more than 20 years ago, I believe that for general use they disappeared long before WWII.
I have been told by several people in Madura that the reason women wore them was to cause them to walk in a correct manner. These anklets force a slow gait where the legs are slightly apart and the walk is from the hips. This was considered to be a very sexy walk by my informants and they decried the fact that modern girls "walk like a horse running".
Three of the pairs shown are of mamas from East Jawa and Madura. The single bronze pair are grave goods from Central Jawa and show traces of gilding.
Last time I saw anybody wearing them was an elderly lady in a village in Madura more than 20 years ago, I believe that for general use they disappeared long before WWII.
I have been told by several people in Madura that the reason women wore them was to cause them to walk in a correct manner. These anklets force a slow gait where the legs are slightly apart and the walk is from the hips. This was considered to be a very sexy walk by my informants and they decried the fact that modern girls "walk like a horse running".
Three of the pairs shown are of mamas from East Jawa and Madura. The single bronze pair are grave goods from Central Jawa and show traces of gilding.