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Polychrome bell collar from the 19th century. Ethnographic Museum of the Kingdom of Pamplona. Arteta (Nafarroa). Photo credit: Fernando Hualde.

Within the shepherding culture, within its ethnography, and especially within the craftsmanship surrounding a shepherd’s occupation, there are pieces and devices which need no introduction; quite the opposite applies to others, though, not so much because we do not know them, but because we often do not know their name. Among the latter are bell collars, so-called canablas, and also known as cañablas.

We are referring to collars which sheep, goats, cows and horses wear around their neck, and from where bells are hung so that herds can be heard, identified and located. These are pieces which tend to go unnoticed, very much unlike the truly striking and noticeable bells dangling from them. Here, in these lines, we shall focus on livestock collars made of wood by shepherds themselves, being now gradually pushed into the background by leather straps, and likely to disappear in the short or medium term.

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