Voedselschaal

This bowl is very large and hewn from one piece of palm wood. The diameter is round and the bowl has four cylindrical feet. The surface is polished with a checkering file and a pumice. It was coloured darker afterwards. The bowl has two separately carved handles, which are glued to the bowl where it has notches. One broke off the bowl and shows heavy damages. The handles served as decoration and not as handles, as the bowl was too heavy to lift on the handles anyway. The outer side has two red lines painted on it for decoration. <BR> The carving of the bowls was the job of men. The production of such large festive bowls had probably ceased by the 1930s.<BR> The handles are in the form of a spiral with 2,5 roundings. On top there is an openwork carving. There are different conceivable inspirations for the spirals. It could represent the curled tail of a marsupial, the coil of a sea snail, a boar's tusks or fern fiddleheads. The handles have the form of an ornament, which can also be found on the prow and stern of a canoe. The bottom part has carved openwork. The connection to canoes is important, as both were associated with clans and clan symbols. The patterns could have been clan insignia.<BR> The bowl was due to its size not used as a personal dish, but rather as a ceremonial vessel. It was for example used to store all the coconut oil, which was given to a bride on her wedding day. <BR> It was also used to serve and distribute large portions of accumulated food on ceremonial occasions, which was important to support the redistributional practice in a village. <BR>

Voedselschaal

This bowl is very large and hewn from one piece of palm wood. The diameter is round and the bowl has four cylindrical feet. The surface is polished with a checkering file and a pumice. It was coloured darker afterwards. The bowl has two separately carved handles, which are glued to the bowl where it has notches. One broke off the bowl and shows heavy damages. The handles served as decoration and not as handles, as the bowl was too heavy to lift on the handles anyway. The outer side has two red lines painted on it for decoration. <BR> The carving of the bowls was the job of men. The production of such large festive bowls had probably ceased by the 1930s.<BR> The handles are in the form of a spiral with 2,5 roundings. On top there is an openwork carving. There are different conceivable inspirations for the spirals. It could represent the curled tail of a marsupial, the coil of a sea snail, a boar's tusks or fern fiddleheads. The handles have the form of an ornament, which can also be found on the prow and stern of a canoe. The bottom part has carved openwork. The connection to canoes is important, as both were associated with clans and clan symbols. The patterns could have been clan insignia.<BR> The bowl was due to its size not used as a personal dish, but rather as a ceremonial vessel. It was for example used to store all the coconut oil, which was given to a bride on her wedding day. <BR> It was also used to serve and distribute large portions of accumulated food on ceremonial occasions, which was important to support the redistributional practice in a village. <BR>