The Iatmul and other Middle Sepik peoples use betel nut, the fruit of the areca palm, which is chewed with lime made from burnt shells or coral and other substances to produce a mild stimulant effect. Among the Iatmul, the ornate containers and spatulas used respectively to hold and serve the lime had ceremonial as well as practical functions. Ceremonial lime containers were presented to newly initiated boys by their maternal uncles to mark their newly achieved status. The tops of these containers have a hole for the insertion of the lime spatula, and the lower ends are frequently adorned with carvings depicting totemic animals or other supernatural beings. This example is inverted to show the carving to better advantage. The lower ends of Iatmul lime spatulas were carved with a series of ridges. To express pride, assertiveness, or anger, Iatmul men rapidly thrust the spatula in and out of the lime container so that the ridges, rubbing against the edges of the hole in the top, produced a harsh grating noise.
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Artwork Details
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Title:Ceremonial Lime Container (Bandi Na Iavo)
Date:late 19th–early 20th century
Geography:Papua New Guinea, Middle Sepik River
Culture:Iatmul or Chambri
Medium:Bamboo, wood, paint, fiber
Dimensions:H. 24 × W. 2 7/8 × D. 2 7/8 in. (61 × 7.3 × 7.3 cm)
Classification:Wood-Containers
Credit Line:The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979
Accession Number:1979.206.1457
[Julius Carlebach Gallery, New York, until 1952]; Nelson A. Rockefeller, New York, 1952, on loan to The Museum of Primitive Art, New York, 1957–1978
Museum of Primitive Art. "Masterpieces from the Americas," May 20, 1964–November 11, 1964.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Art of Oceania, Africa and the Americas from The Museum of Primitive Art," May 10–August 17, 1969.
Art Institute of Chicago. "The Art of the Sepik River," October 16-December 19, 1971.
American Federation of Arts. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," January 5, 1975–May 15, 1977.
Seattle Art Museum. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," January 5, 1975–February 16, 1975.
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," March 23, 1975–May 4, 1975.
Dallas Museum of Art. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," June 8, 1975–July 20, 1975.
Art Institute of Chicago. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," August 25, 1975–October 10, 1975.
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," November 9, 1975–December 21, 1975.
Toledo Museum of Art. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," April 11, 1976–May 25, 1976.
Walker Art Center. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," June 27, 1976–August 8, 1976.
Denver Art Museum. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," September 10, 1976–November 7, 1976.
de Young Museum, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. "Primitive Art/Masterworks," March 12, 1977–May 15, 1977.
Firth, R. Art and Life in New Guinea. London and New York: The Studio Ltd., 1936.
Wardwell, Allen. The Art of the Sepik River. Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1971.
American Federation of Arts. Primitive Art Masterworks: an exhibition jointly organized by the Museum of Primitive Art and the American Federation of Arts, New York. New York: American Federation of Arts, 1974, no. 134.
Friede, John A. New Guinea Art: Masterpieces from the Jolika Collection of Marcia and John Friede. Vol. vol. 2. San Francisco: de Young Museum, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, 2005.
Kjellgren, Eric. Oceania: Art of the Pacific Islands in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York and New Haven: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2007, pp. 86–87, no. 47.
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