The ladle is made of half a coconut shell and a wooden ladle. The hollowed out and smoothed coconut is parted in half (not necessarily evenly). A carved wooden ladle of different size and adornment is glued to the coconut. It is always attached in the inside. The manufacture was the work of the men, as is almost all carving and wood work. <BR> Different kinds of adornments can be identified. They most probable don't have a special meaning, but are expression of the artist's creativity. Animal or human figures are probably an allusion to ancestral beings and totems. <BR> The handle is a flat board, parallel to the rim of the shell and has an openwork pattern. It is divided in two parts, which are separated by a horizontal bar and are adorned with scrolls. It is tapered towards the end of the handle in the coconut shell. The upper end shows a stylised tail fin which fits the fish motif. <BR> The ladle was used to scoop liquids and solid food from pots and kettles, often from a big wooden bowl. This was often done on feasts, to give out soup to guests. The ladles were kept in the house of the men and were sometimes a present to guests. <BR> <BR> <BR>