Punishment collar

Africans resisted enslavement from the point of capture. When enslaved people tried to run away after being captured by the slave traders, this heavy iron collar was placed on them to inflict punishment. It stopped them from running away again as the spiked ends prevent the wearer from moving into any areas with trees or bushes. Punishment collars such as these clearly marked out a person as having transgressed in some way and were often used to punish other crimes such as theft. The four spikes sticking out, would have made it impossible for a person wearing it to lie down or to lean up against any surface. Other punishment devices included muzzles or iron masks, used to restrict an enslaved person’s ability to talk and eat.