tiger bells i beleive ,look quite old

these I believe these are what they call tiger bells , it think have some age , whats your thoughts , picked them up at my local bootfair this morning

 

I asked my warehouse neighbor who is a Sikh from India. He says they are worn on thighs of Indian females during traditional dances.

 

They're stunning, @matthew2

it's hard to tell from the photo - do you think they're silver?

I'm sure your neighbor knows best, but I did find them worn on the ankles... I'm looking for examples of them worn on the thigh, but no luck so far...

 

Neighbor’s English is limited and he was indicating with his hands that the bells were used on legs, and his own thighs were as low as he could reach easily, so I wouldn’t give my interpretation any credit for accuracy, “thighs” was my term, not his. “Legs” would be a more accurate interpretation I think.

 

Btw, silver isn’t a good metal to use for bells that are supposed to ring, no matter how many songs you’ve heard with “silver bells.” Very likely the bells shown are bronze. And I long ago tired of debating whether certain bells are brass or bronze based on their looks in the photos. If you think you can determine the metal from any photos, fine, but please don’t be offended if I absent myself from such debates.

 

Thanks for your reply , I believe the bells bonze , ive done a little research and apparently these bells were often used by shamans in rituals , what I like about these are they look old and well used judging by the worn leather and wear to the bells , I like them as they are unusual

 

They're Indian nautch dancer bells. Worn on the ankles. Usually brass or some white base metal. Nothing to do with shamanism.

 

Wow! This being, by my count anyway, the SECOND time in what, 15 years “together” on two different boards, that OBB and I have been in general agreement on an object, I’m celebrating by eating the head off my chocolate Easter bunny!

 

The problem is these wouldn't fit on anyones ankles they are far too big , the leather strap is 65 cm long and the bells are quite heavy

 

Bells from this group occur on the southeast Asian mainland. Until now there are reports from Thailand, Tibet, Nepal, Bangladesh and possibly Inner Mongolia, Laos and Assam (Nagaland). In Thailand (Bangkok) these bells are sometimes painted gold. They have the following characteristics: 'Wang' character on the 'forehead', so typical for the A type tiger bells, is missing. On the top half we can distinguish Chinese characters, sometimes one, sometimes two. The surrounding curls and curves are not always there. The hoop is always round.


Use

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Tiger bells . They come 'from the north' but it is not clear what place or region that is. It is likely that these tiger bells are still produced. India) belts for yaks and horses with 10 to 12 of these bells were sold. One shopkeeper in Bangkok told me these bells were used as doorknobs. Nepalese and Tibetan shamans wear these bells on a chain across the chest as part of their costume. Type B bells of a smaller size are used as dog bells in Tibet and northern Thailand.

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“Theycome 'from the north' but it is not clear what place or region that is.”

This is clearly a mistranslation, the correct one is ‘from the sky.’ That explains a report from Ohoobah of numerous fatalities due to raining bells striking unsuspecting people about the head and shoulders, but the timeframe of this particular event has not been determined. In any case this event is thought to have been the source of the expression often used by English-speaking Oohbanians during monsoon season “it is yes raining like Bell.”

 

Looking at their size & the length of the strap, they are more likely to be Tiger Bell, As Ghungroo(worn by Indian dancers) are far smaller in size and there are many of them in a single strap.

 

I agree, they are bronze 'tiger' bells, with just one slit. 'Tiger' after the stylized animal head and what looks like the Chinese character for tiger. This type of bell has been around for a very long time and the style is believed to be Archaic Chinese. It is not known whether the animal head is meant to represent a tiger, another animal or a mythical creature. I think it is probably the last, but many people call them tiger bells, so tiger bells it is.
In many cultures across the globe bells are believed to ward off evil. Tiger bells are used a lot in Asian tribal communities, often with a Shamanic purpose.

With this long strap, I would think your bells were worn around the neck of an animal. Probably to ward of evil, rather than let the owner know where the animal is, they would use a bigger bell for that.

On a Shaman's costume from Mongolia:



These are Indian brass gunghroo, dance bells, they have a cross slit, a flower petal shape:

it is best to include sizes in your first post, so people don't get confused.

 

They are still made in China:

https://tigerbells.nl/intro.htm

Distribution of tiger bells and how they are used in the different cultures in Asia:
https://tigerbells.nl/DistributionAbells.htm
The site is Dutch but it is in English. It has a lot of information.

Here is a map of how tiger bells spread over time from their production centre in Northeast China:

https://tigerbells.nl/conclude.htm#age

 

I know this type of bell is still sold as I nearly bought some recently to use as deer repellents.
https://www.ebay.com/p/48mm-Hot-Varieties-Chinese-Tibetan-Bells-Charming-Great-Gift/1748604900


This listing has some on a strap though I think it's longer than yours.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Chinese-An...194685?hash=item2ce0bf4dbd:g:Aa0AAOSw5WVbnwFA