African 1800's Heavy Brass Ankle Cuff Slave Bracelet - Niger - Tuareg

Description

I'm offering a Tuareg slave ankle bracelet from Niger.  These heavy bracelets would be placed on the ankle of a slave to both identify the wearer as a slave and, upon inspection, identify the master by the markings on the cuff.  The bracelets were made by metalsmiths, who were themselves members of the slave caste.
Slavery was "abolished" in Niger in 1960 when the country became independent of France.  Slavery became "illegal" in Niger in 1999, and became criminalized in 2003.  Forms of slavery still very much exist to this day.
When it became legally impossible/impractical to publicly identify individuals as slaves, the bracelets were removed from the ankles.  In some cases, the bracelet had been on so long that the wearer's skin had grown over it (like a tree grows over a wire in time), and the skin had to be cut to remove the cuff.  This "style" of bracelet can be seen today on the wrists of many people; they have no idea of the origin of the design.
Sales only within the continental United States, please.  Sorry!