Consume Things used to eat, drink and make merry
Gallery Guide
Things used to eat, drink and make merry Here are things that people have eaten off, drunk from, shared with friends, chatted over, cooked with, cleaned, broken and mended, demanded, taken for granted and cherished. Once filled with life-sustaining, comforting and indulgent food and drinks, or healing, soothing and mind-altering medicines, these are (almost) all now empty. Spot the chips and cracks that interrupt the objects and tell a story of use and of journey. Regardless of where or when, there are similarities and connections to be made with meal times and moments of food, feasting and medicinal practice today.
Zone
Consume 2
1 4
3
Can you help discover more about these objects’ stories? The objects marked with this symbol are unidentified or need further research. Take a look at the folder in the bookcase by the seating area. It has images and information about these objects. We welcome your ideas, input or expertise.
4
5
Case
1
Saqa, water storage jar This glazed water pot is highly decorated with incised patterns, illustrating the important role played by water in Fijian religious ceremonies. Fiji, Pacific Ocean
Pottery bowl Tripod bowl with human head handles. Probably Roatán Island, Honduras Bay, Central America
The uneven neck and wavy patterning suggest this functional clay pot has been hand thrown rather than produced on a wheel.
Pottery jar This is probably a water cooling jar. The porous pottery keeps the water cool through evaporation. North Africa or Middle East, Asia
6
?
Undated, pre 15th century
Pottery jug
Unprovenanced
19th – early 20th century
?
19th – early 20th century
Saqa moli, water drinking vessel Saqa moli vessels are in the shape of a cluster of citrus fruits, with pinched and painted decoration covering the entire surface. Water is poured into the hole at the top and comes out through the short spout. Fiji, Pacific Ocean
19th – early 20th century
?
19th – early 20th century
7
Tanoa, kava bowl
Food bowl
This eight-legged ceremonial bowl was used to mix water and kava, a psychoactive drink made from the dried root of the pepper bush, Piper methysticum. The kava ceremony is one of the most important Samoan customs and these bowls act as an enduring icon of Samoan hospitality and culture. Kava is used for spiritual, medicinal and recreational purposes by a wide range of Pacific societies.
This food bowl would have been used for making mona, a popular sweet food made from the plant taro and served with a sugar and coconut milk sauce.
Samoa, Pacific Ocean
19th century
Massim people, Trobriand Islands, Papua New Guinea, Pacific Ocean
Wooden bowl The decoration has been burnt into the wood. Unprovenanced
19th – early 20th century
? Late 19th – early 20th century
Kumete, food bowl
Two milk vessels
An elegant wooden bowl with a handle at either end, one of which has been cut away for liquids to be poured out more easily.
Cows are milked directly into these vessels and then children sit rocking the vessel to make butter. The baskets are tightly twined with string and have leather straps decorated with cowrie shells.
Cook Islands, Pacific Ocean
19th century Ethiopia or Somali, Africa
Late 19th – early 20th century
Pottery jar Istanbul, Turkey, Europe and Asia
8
Date unknown
9
Pottery jar
Gourd bowl
The jar is hand-decorated with brown paint.
This storage vessel made from half a dried gourd was probably used for millet.
Algeria (probably), North Africa
19th – early 20th century
West Africa, unprovenanced
Food bowl
Gourd vessel
These bowls were often used for making mona, a popular sweet food made from the plant taro and served with a sugar and coconut milk sauce. The carving on the rim is infilled with lime made from burnt seashells.
With pokerwork decoration.
Massim people, Trobriand Islands, Papua New Guinea, Pacific Ocean
Africa, unprovenanced
? 19th – 20th century
Pottery bowl
Repaired wooden bowl The bowl has been repaired with staples to prolong its use, a fascinating example of how objects have been mended and recycled.
10
Late 19th – early 20th century
19th century
Probably Roatán Island, Honduras Bay, Central America
Unprovenanced
?
?
? 300 -1500 CE
Cup This painted cup is about 3,000 years old.
Cyprus, Europe
1050-650 BCE
19th – 20th century
11
Chinese porcelain plate with Mundy family arms Ceramics decorated with a family coat of arms are called armorial porcelain. This plate is decorated with the arms and crest of the Mundy family of Markeaton Hall, Derby. It is estimated that about 5,000 armorial services were made in China from about 1700 to 1820. This was probably made in the Jingdezhen region, then transported by foot on a long trek to Guangzhou where it would have been put on an East India Company ship for the long journey to England. Made in China, Asia / Used in Markeaton Hall, Derby, UK, Europe
Mid 18th century
Bamboo tea strainer Tea was first drunk in Tibet about 1,400 years ago. Today, butter tea or po cha is particularly popular and has a high calorific content. Tibet, Asia
Early 20th century
Goat’s horn spoon Goats are an important part of farming and livestock in Paraguay and there would have been a plentiful supply of horn to use to make objects such as this.
Paraguay, South America
Drawer 1
Late 19th – early 20th century
Beer strainer
12
These cone-shaped woven grass baskets are woven by women for use in traditional Zulu beer making. The maize and sorghum beer is brewed by women and is usually of low alcohol content. It is poured through a basket strainer during the fermentation process to remove the grain husks. Women brew beer in a special hut that has a partial roof to allow smoke to escape.
Wooden ladle or spoon
Zulu people, South Africa
South Africa
c.1860-1880
? Late 19th – early 20th century
13
Mate cup
Bombilla, mate drinking straw
This cup is made from a gourd, which was bound into shape while it was growing. The rim is made of silver. It was used for drinking mate, a traditional South American caffeine-rich drink from the Plata region, made from dried leaves of the yerba mate plant. It is also known as cimarrón in Spanish and is consumed all over South America, as well as in Syria, Lebanon, Poland and Ukraine.
Today mate is promoted worldwide as a health drink, rich in antioxidants, and claimed to be good for concentration, weight loss and for lowering cholesterol.
Southern South America, unprovenanced
Wooden spoon or ladle
19th – early 20th century
Chile, South America
Africa, unprovenanced
? Late 19th – early 20th century
Bombilla, mate drinking straw
Two coconut spoons
This silver bombilla straw has a perforated bulb at the end to strain the mate leaves. Mate has been drunk by indigenous South American people for many hundreds of years and ancient legends tell how it was originally a gift from the gods. Traditionally mate is drunk with much ceremony, symbolising friendship and hospitality.
In the South Pacific coconut trees provided materials for living - food and drink, vessels, clothing and housing. These food spoons are carved from coconuts with human figures on the handles, probably representing ancestors. The carved decoration is inlaid with lime made from crushed and burnt sea shells.
Southern South America, unprovenanced
14
c. 1890
Late 19th – early 20th century
Papua New Guinea, Pacific Ocean
Late 19th century
15
Velvet napkin rings
Gourd spoon
Decorated with melon seeds and beads. You can see the box that held these in the Furnish case.
This spoon is decorated with images of rheas and a person riding a four-legged animal. The style is typical of the Guaraní people of Paraguay.
South Africa
Guaraní people, Paraguay, South America
c. 1900
Pair of gourd spoons
Two spoons
These have pokerwork decoration, made using a heated tool to burn the design into the skin of the gourds. Soba, Kaduna State, North West Nigeria, Africa
Karamojong people, Uganda, Africa
Mid 20th century
c. 1960
Drawer 2
Punch ladle Ukhezo, beer spoons Traditional African maize and sorghum beer is made by women for special occasions such as weddings, funerals, religious ceremonies and feasts and it is central to traditional cultures across most of Sub-Saharan Africa. Spoons like this are used to skim off froth during brewing, and for pouring the froth on the ground as an offering to the ancestors. Once the beer is brewed, the woman who brewed it starts off the drinking ceremony. Zulu people, South Africa
16
Early 20th century
Punch was a popular drink among the wealthy in 18th century Britain, made from alcoholic spirits, water, sugar, citrus fruit and spices. It would be made in large bowls and served into cups using a ladle. Notice the stop hook on the back of the handle of this spoon, to stop it falling into the punch bowl. UK, Europe
18th – 19th century
Mid 19th century
17
Two wooden spoons Ghana, Africa
Spoon Late 19th – early 20th century
Mid 20th century
Ukhezo, beer spoons
Punch ladle
Traditional Zulu sorghum and maize beer is central to many social occasions in Zulu culture. When it is served the woman who brewed it uses a spoon like this to skim off the froth from the top and pour it on the ground as an offering to the ancestors. She then stirs the beer, fills a communal gourd or clay pot and takes the first drink before passing it round to guests in order of status.
Punch was introduced to Britain from India in the early 17th century by sailors from the British East India Company and became a popular part of social drinking occasions.
South Africa
Late 19th – early 20th century
Double-ended spoon
Unprovenanced
18
Karamojong people, Uganda, Africa
? 19th – early 20th century
UK, Europe
18th – 19th century
Goat horn ladle The handle of this spoon is carved with animals, including a raven, which is a bird of great significance to First Nations peoples, featured in many stories. The carving is similar to that on totem poles and illustrates the cultures’ deep respect for nature. Carved, steamed and moulded from the horn of a black mountain goat, the spoon would be used at potlatches (gift-giving feasts) and other special occasions. Haida, Tlingit or Tsimshian people, Pacific Northwest Coast, North America
19th century
19
Sumicha, oil lamp spoon
Bulutoko, flesh fork
Rather than being for food or drink, this spoon was used for transferring oil from the vessel to the bowl of the sukunda lamp, for burning during religious and social events including weddings and birthdays. Notice the peacock on the handle. You can see three sukunda lamps in the Furnish case.
Multi-pronged forks were used by priests and high chiefs who were forbidden to touch the food they ate, due to their potent divine power. Cannibalism was an accepted, normal part of Fijian life until the 1870s when the British colonial administration banned it, and these forks were used during the ritual eating of meat, whether human or animal. Flesh forks were sensationalised and referred to as ‘cannibal forks’ by Europeans.
Newar people, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, Asia
19th – early 20th century
Fiji, Pacific Ocean
Wooden ladle This may be an incomplete double ended spoon used in beer making.
Origin unknown; possibly Zulu Tsonga people, South Africa
20
19th century
?
Late 19th – early 20th century
21
22
Photo : Chevy-Jordan Thompson
23
Case
2
Recycled tin mug This mug was made by Erdington Byfield, a bulldozer operator who lives on St Kitts. Mugs made out of recycled food tins were being made on St Kitts from at least the 1920s to the 1970s. People would drink cocoa and bush tea out of them, and they were very practical, being durable and easy to beat back into shape if dropped. In the 1970s ceramic and plastic crockery became more affordable.
Brass beaker The beaker is decorated with intricate flora, fauna and geometric patterns. Africa or South Asia, unprovenanced
Water carrying and drinking vessel Late 19th – early 20th century
This water jar is designed so that you can drink straight out of it. In the Nivaclé language the word Nivaclé simply means ‘human’. Nivaclé people, Gran Chaco region, Paraguay, South America
Brass beaker Africa, unprovenanced
24
Late 20th century
Late 19th – early 20th century
Brass beaker India, Asia
St Kitts, West Indies, Caribbean
Late 19th – early 20th century
Jug Late 19th – early 20th century
Cyprus, Europe
c. 2000 1500 BCE
25
Ancient Egyptian bag-shaped jar
Dorak, water bottle
Museum records say that this was taken ‘from a tomb near Cairo’. It was donated to the museum by Mrs Donoghue, the sister-in-law of Lord Carnarvon’s doctor. Lord Carnarvon financed the famous discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in the 1920s.
Used for drinking water from after meals. The water would come from wells, or from the Nile itself, as in the early 19th century Nile water was considered better than the water from wells in Cairo. The thin porous pottery keeps the water cool through evaporation. The inside of these bottles was perfumed with the smoke of aromatic wood and mastic tree resin.
Cairo, Egypt, Africa
c. 1550 - 1070 BCE Egypt, Africa
Jar
Ancient Egyptian jar
Decorated with a face and carved handle-like adornos (adornments) in the shape of animals, possibly crocodiles. You can see other adornos in one of the drawers in the Believe zone.
This was excavated from a tomb at Beni Hasan, an Ancient Egyptian cemetery site for provincial governors and officials. It would have contained food or drink meant for the dead person to use in the afterlife.
Roatán Island, Bay Islands, Honduras, Central America
26
18th – 19th century
c. 800 - 1000 CE
Beni Hasan, Egypt
c. 2200 - 1600 BCE
27
Toilet ablution water bottle
Food pounder
What happens when we don’t know… We assumed that this vessel was for drinking water. We didn’t know where it came from. Thanks to a Somalian visitor, we have found out it is actually a North African toilet ablution bottle used to clean the bottom and hands after going to the toilet.
These calcite food pounders are made from stalactites found in deep limestone caves in the cliffs surrounding the island of Mangaia. They were used to mash taro root or breadfruit to make poke or po’e, a sweet pudding flavoured with coconut cream.
North or east Africa or Middle East, Asia
Late 19th – early 20th century
Mangaia, Cook Islands, Pacific Ocean
White slipware tankard
Painted bottles
This is coated with cream slip and painted with a hooked chain and lattice work pattern, very popular in the Aegean and the Levant during the late Cypriot period.
The museum record says that these are ‘English bottles painted by Afghans’, donated in 1888. They are wine and beer bottles, probably imported into Afghanistan for the British troops stationed there during or shortly after the 2nd Afghan War (1878-1880). The empty bottles were mended and decorated by Afghan people, perhaps for resale to Europeans. They were donated to the museum by General Meir; we have not found out who he was.
Cyprus, Europe
c.1450 - 1200 BCE
Afghanistan, Asia
28
19th century
?
Mid – late 19th century
29
Water bottle
Kava cup
This is probably an Egyptian kulleh or water bottle.
The cup is made from half a coconut which has been sanded and smoothed. It is used for scooping out and drinking kava from communal kava bowls such as the eight-legged wooden bowl on display in the case behind you.
Unprovenanced, probably Egypt, Africa
19th – early 20th century
Fiji, Pacific Ocean
19th – early 20th century
Water bottle This is probably an Egyptian kulleh or water bottle. Unprovenanced, probably Egypt, Africa
Botijo, water jug
Brass tray
A botijo is a traditional Spanish water storage and drinking bottle. It is designed to cool the water inside through evaporation.
India, Asia
Malaga, Spain, Europe
Ivory cup
Nigeria/Cameroon, Africa
30
19th – early 20th century
19th – early 20th century
1860s
? 19th – early 20th century
31
Brass tray
Brass tray British copper from Swansea was imported into India by the British East India Company for the manufacture of decorated brass household items during the 18th and 19th centuries. Some were exported back to the UK and are known in the antiques trade as ‘Benares Brass’ after the Indian city. India, Asia
19th – early 20th century
19th – early 20th century
Punch-decorated brass neptune dish
Brass tray
Large brass dishes, called neptunes, were imported from Europe through the busy port city of Calabar from the 1890s onwards. Women of the city, particularly those of the Ironbar family, began an industry punch-decorating the neptunes, using nails as punches. A great many punch-decorated dishes were made and sold to Europeans or given as prestigious gifts.
This depicts the Hindu goddess Kamadhenu, divine mother of all cows, also known as the wish-fulfilling cow. This deity has many physical similarities (eagle wings, peacock tail, female face) with Al-Buraq, the Islamic heavenly creature that carried the prophet Muhammad on the night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and back. The teats on this animal mark it out as Kamadhenu.
Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria, Africa
32
India, Asia
Late 19th – early 20th century
India, Asia
19th – early 20th century
33
Porcelain plate Porcelain was invented in China over 2,200 years ago. By the 17th century porcelain was being made in China specifically for export to Europe, with shapes and decoration that appealed to European tastes. Chinese ceramics had a great influence on the development of ceramics in Europe. China, Asia
c.1720-1780
Metal tray Metalworking is a centuries-old skilled trade in Bida and is still practised today by young apprentices in small workshops, often recycling scrap metals. Homeware such as trays are subtly punch-decorated and are often commissioned for wedding ceremonies. This tray was bought from the man who made it, at Bida market in 1969. Bida, Nigeria, Africa
34
1960s
Photo : Chevy-Jordan Thompson
35
Case
3
Two spouted water vessels
?
Rather than being for drinking water as we first thought, these are probably water ablution jars, used for washing the hands and bottom after going to the toilet. Africa, unprovenanced, probably Egypt
Late 19th – early 20th century
Mate cup Gourd cup for drinking mate, a traditional caffeine-rich drink from the River Plate Basin of South America, made from dried leaves of the yerba mate plant.
Chile, South America
Gourd snuff bottle
Leather-covered glass bottle
Gourds are a hard-skinned fruit that can be hollowed out, dried and used for a huge range of purposes including water bottles, food bowls, snuff bottles, boxes and musical instruments.
British glass whisky or brandy bottle, covered in leather and decorated with plaited grasses in West Africa.
Africa, unprovenanced
36
c. 1890
Late 19th – early 20th century
Sierra Leone (probably), West Africa
Late 19th – early 20th century
37
Wooden palm wine cup
Soapstone tripod bowl
Highly-decorated palm wine cups reflected the wealth and status of the owner and were also used by high priests during religious ceremonies. Cups made for rulers would typically be made in the shape of a human head with a distinctive hairstyle. This once belonged to the artist Jacob Epstein and it was donated to the museum by a friend of his.
Traditionally, the Kisii people of Kenya made soapstone pots to carry fat to protect their skin from the sun. Soapstone has been mined commercially in the Nyanza region of Kenya since the end of the 19th century, for making objects for export and sale as souvenirs. This bowl was once owned by Richard Arthur Poulden who worked for the Kenyan Prison Service in the 1920s.
Pende people, Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa
Kenya, Africa
1920s
Poison ordeal cup
Brass kettle
This two-headed goblet is said to be a poison ordeal cup, used to give a poisonous herbal drink to a person suspected of witchcraft or other crimes, to find out if they were guilty. If the suspect vomited they were considered not guilty but if they became very ill or died they were believed to be guilty. The poison ordeal was a traditional practice over much of sub-Saharan Africa. It is similar to the European tradition of ducking witches.
This unusual kettle has an internal cylinder for putting in burning twigs or coals to heat the water.
Yeji, Ghana, Africa
38
19th – early 20th century
East Asia, unprovenanced
?
Late 19th – early 20th century
Late 19th – early 20th century
39
Lota, ablution jug
?
This was recorded as a teapot but it is more likely to be a lota or ablution jug, used for personal hygiene or for wudu which involves washing the hands, mouth, nostrils, arms, head and feet with water and is an important part of ritual purity in Islam.
Woven platter These mats are made of brightly-coloured sisal fibre wrapped around reeds. They were probably made for sale to tourists for the tourist markets. Africa, unprovenanced
South Asia
?
Late 19th – early 20th century
Late 19th – early 20th century
Roman glass beaker Cyprus, Europe
About 2,000 years old
Woven placemats These mats are made of brightly-coloured sisal fibre wrapped around reeds. They were probably made for sale to tourists.
Northern Nigeria, Africa
Roman glass jug Cyprus, Europe
40
Mid 20th century
About 2,000 years old
41
Case
4
Imfuko, tobacco pipe bowl The bowl of this clay pipe is modelled as an antelope. It would have been fitted onto a long reed pipe. Men would smoke it with the bowl resting on the ground. This type of pipe was pictured on Zambian postage stamps from 1970, part of a ‘Traditional Crafts’ series. Sotho people, Republic of Zambia, Africa
Late 19th – mid 20th century
Wooden tobacco pipe Maori people, New Zealand, Pacific Ocean
Late 19th – early 20th century
An animal figure forms the bowl of this wooden pipe. The pipe combines Maori design and ancient motifs with European shapes learnt from imported clay pipes. It is thought that Captain Cook and his crew introduced tobacco smoking to the Maori people where it became a mark of status and part of gift giving. This pipe was probably made for sale to Europeans.
42
Reindeer antler tobacco pipe Probably made for sale to Europeans. Sámi people, Northern Scandinavia, Europe
Early 20th century
43
Tobacco pouch Sámi people, Lapland, Finland, Europe
Four glass pharmacy bottles Early 20th century
Morphine and opium were once widely available over-the-counter in UK pharmacies until they became controlled substances in the early 20th century. Morphine was first extracted from opium in 1817 and began to be sold to the public in the 1820s, as pain medication and a treatment for opium addiction; it later proved to be more addictive than opium. Laudanum, a tincture of opium, was widely used in the UK as a cure-all from the 17th century. Cope and Taylor Chemist, Market Place, Derby, UK, Europe
Late 19th – mid 20th century
‘Opium for Bruises’
Water pipe for smoking marijuana This cattle horn water pipe would have been used for smoking cannabis leaves or other psychoactive plants. The wooden reed would have had a stone pipe bowl on the end, the horn would be filled with water and the smoke inhaled from the horn. Pipe smoking was invented in Africa around 2,500 years ago, and cannabis was introduced from Asia around 500-1,000 years ago. Cannabis in southern Africa has been used in spiritual, medicinal and recreational contexts and as an appetite suppressant. Zulu or Sotho people, Southern Africa
Morphine Hydrochloride cough lozenges The instructions on the label read ‘One to be taken several times a day, and immediately on retiring to rest; for a Child five years of age, half a Lozenge will be sufficient’.
‘Ferrier’s Snuff (without morphine)’
19th – early 20th century
Liquid Morphine Hydrochloride
44
45
Drawer 1 Snuff (finely ground tobacco for inhaling) originated in Brazil, was first used in Europe in the early 16th century, and was introduced to Africa by Europeans shortly afterwards. Most of the snuff containers here are southern African, where snuff taking was an important social and spiritual act, a means of communicating with the ancestors and of celebrating the generosity and status of individuals. Snuff is still used in southern Africa although it has slowly declined in popularity.
Ivory or bone snuff spoon Snuff spoons are used for inhaling snuff. Zulu people, southern Africa
Late 19th – mid 20th century
Snuff bottle
Snuff container of carved horn in the form of a bearded man Bushongo people, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa
X-rays of this bottle show there are two seeds or pebbles inside, which were presumably put in to stop the powdered snuff clumping together, allowing it to come out through the narrow neck. There is also still some snuff inside.
Central Plateau, Nigeria, Africa
Late 19th – mid 20th century
Late 19th – mid 20th century
This highly decorative snuff box held the snuff within the figure’s cylindrical headdress.
Snuff bottle Zulu people, South Africa
46
Late 19th – mid 20th century
47
Pair of hippo tooth snuff bottles
Snuff bottle Shona people, southern Africa
Late 19th – early 20th century
Bead covered glass snuff bottle The beadwork of the Xhosa people is a highly skilled traditional craft originally using natural materials such as eggshell, seeds, nuts and wood before glass beads became available through trade. Xhosa people, southern Africa
Central or southern Africa, unprovenanced
Late 19th – early 20th century
Ivory or bone snuff spoon and hair ornament Zulu people, South Africa
c.1860-1880
Late 19th – early 20th century
Pair of snuff boxes
Ivory or bone snuff spoon
These are made of wood carved to look like gourds. Southern Africa
Late 19th – early 20th century
The date 1751 is on the bottom of this box, and 1806 is inside the lid.
48
Late 19th – early 20th century
Snuff bottle
Snuff box
UK, Europe
Zulu people, South Africa
Shona people, southern Africa
Late 19th – early 20th century
18th century
49
Pair of gourd snuff boxes with wire inlay
Snuff bottle Tsonga people, southern Africa
Late 19th – early 20th century
These high quality snuff boxes with wire decoration would have been used on special occasions. They still have snuff inside. The stopper is the stalk of the gourd, which is a dried and hollowed out fruit. Zulu people, southern Africa
Late 19th – early 20th century
Pair of snuff bottles Made from wood and cow horn and joined by a carved wooden chain. Tsonga people, South Africa
Late 19th – early 20th century
Beaded gourd snuff boxes Zulu people, southern Africa
Late 19th – early 20th century
Armadillo tail snuff bottle Made from the tail of a South American armadillo, with silver mounts. Armadillo means ‘little armoured one’ in Spanish. People have used armadillo scales and shells to make various objects, including musical instruments. South America, unprovenanced, probably Chile or Peru
Snuff tin
19th – early 20th century
This held menthol snuff, originally created for people with colds, manufactured by the chemist Hedges of Birmingham.
Birmingham, UK, Europe
50
Early – mid 20th century
51
Snuff bottle Zulu people, South Africa
Pair of beaded glass snuff bottles Late 19th – early 20th century
Snuff bottle Kenya (probably), Africa
Late 19th – early 20th century
Southern Africa
Late 19th – early 20th century
Camel leather box Late 19th – early 20th century
Originally identified as a snuff box it is more likely that this is a trinket box. It is decorated with henna. Tuareg people, North Africa
52
Late 19th – early 20th century
Gourd snuff box
Snuff bottle Kenya (probably), Africa
Zulu people, southern Africa
Late 19th – early 20th century
53
Drawer 2
Lime spatulas
Betel chewing People have been chewing betel nuts for thousands of years in many Pacific Islands and Asian countries and it is estimated that 600 million people use betel nut today. The nuts contain a psychoactive stimulant similar to nicotine. Betel is an integral part of many cultures, used during celebrations, rituals and ceremonies, for magic, trade and as a sign of friendship and hospitality. Chewing betel nuts causes a distinctive red staining of the teeth and mouth.
Lime was stored in dried-out gourds to be added to betel nuts when they are chewed. The lime spatulas were first licked by the user, then dipped into the gourd where the powder would stick. The lime is sucked off the spatula several times during betel nut chewing. The spatula was also used to add the lime to betel nut parcels ready for chewing.
Lime spatula Massim people, Papua New Guinea, Pacific Ocean
Lime gourd Papua New Guinea, Pacific Ocean
Late 19th century
This gourd was used to store lime made from pulverised burnt seashells or coral. The lime is eaten in small quantities with betel nuts to increase the effect of the natural stimulant in the nuts. “Its an honour to handle this when so many have touched it before, what a brilliant thing!”
Late 19th century
Lime spatula Clapper shaped handle. Massim people, Papua New Guinea, Pacific Ocean
Late 19th century
Neil, Abacus tattoo parlour
Lime spatula The handle is carved with a human figure. Massim people, Papua New Guinea, Pacific Ocean
54
Late 19th – early 20th century
55
Cassowary leg bone lime spatula
Lime spatula
This would have belonged to a chief or other highranking person. The cassowary bird, native to Papua New Guinea, Australia and nearby islands, is now an endangered species.
The handle is topped with a carved human head.
Papua New Guinea, Pacific Ocean
Massim people, Papua New Guinea, Pacific Ocean
Late 19th century
Late 19th – early 20th century
Lime spatula and betel mortar Massim people, Papua New Guinea, Pacific Ocean
Lime spatula
Pacific Ocean, unprovenanced
Late 19th – early 20th century
Lime spatula The handle is carved in the shape of a canoe prow. Massim people, Papua New Guinea, Pacific Ocean
Late 19th century
Lime spatula
Lime spatula
The handle is carved with a snake.
The handle is carved in the shape of an animal, possibly a pig.
Massim people, Papua New Guinea, Pacific Ocean
56
?
Late 19th century
Late 19th century
Massim people, Papua New Guinea, Pacific Ocean
Late 19th century
57
Drawer 3 Tomahawk tobacco pipe European or Native North American people, North America or Europe
The tomahawk axe was adapted into a pipe either by European Americans or Native Americans in the early 1700s. The head of the axe has a pipe bowl on the edge so it could be used for both ritual smoking and chopping. It may have been more symbolic than practical, in that it combined the old and the new worlds, symbolising the coming together of two cultures. Tomahawk pipes were often traded by Europeans in exchange for fur and became status symbols within native groups.
58
Opium pipe Late 18th – 19th century
China, Asia
18th – 19th century
A blob of sticky opium would be put on the pottery bowl and then heated upside-down over a flame to vapourise the opium. The long bamboo pipe cooled the vapour before inhalation. The little frog near to bowl is a sign of prosperity and considered good for the health in Chinese medicine. The British opium trade lasted more than a century. Opium from India was sold to China in exchange for tea, the British protecting the trade by military force. Many people became addicted to opium causing widespread social problems and the Chinese authorities repeatedly tried to stop the trade. The trade finally ended in 1917.
59
Red pill pipe After opium smoking was banned in China in 1906 people began smoking ‘red pills’, which contained a mixture of heroin and caffeine. Red pill smoking soon spread to other countries, particularly the USA. Red pill smoking had largely died out by the 1950s.
China, Asia
Early 20th century
Tobacco pipe stem This is the stem of a ceremonial pipe probably made by the Sioux people. The bowl would have been stone, like the red catlinite bowl in this drawer. The stem is carved with animal motifs. The Sioux believe that all natural objects including mountains, rivers, plants and animals have souls or spirits. Native North American people, North America
Photo : Chevy-Jordan Thompson
60
19th – early 20th century
61
Chibouk tobacco pipe
Stone tobacco pipe bowl
This type of pipe is also known as a Turkish pipe and they were common across Turkey and the Middle East during the 18th and 19th centuries. The wood and reed stem is inlaid and gilded and an Arabic inscription on the pottery bowl is possibly the maker’s mark. The mouthpiece is missing.
Made of red catlinite or pipestone, quarried in Minnesota by the Sioux people and traded to other Native American groups. Sacred ceremonial tobacco pipes play a key role in the spiritual and cultural life of the Sioux people and other Plains Indian tribes. The pinches of tobacco put into the bowl represent prayers of blessing for the universe and all creation. As the smoke rises these prayers become visible offerings.
Turkey, Europe/ Middle East, Asia
Tobacco pipe made from a leaf
Unprovenanced
19th century Native North American people, USA, North America
?
19th – early 20th century
18th – 19th century
Stone tobacco pipe bowl
Unprovenanced
?
Undated
Stone tobacco pipe bowl This sacred ceremonial pipe bowl is inlaid with a white metal.
Native North American people, North America
62
18th – 19th century
63
Stone pipe bowl
?
The shape resembles an animal hoof. Native North American people, North America
18th – 19th century
Kiseru, tobacco pipe Kiseru are traditional pipes with very small bowls, used in Japan since the 17th century, after tobacco was introduced by the Portuguese in about 1570. Usually made of metal and bamboo they consist of three parts, the mouthpiece, stem and shank/bowl.
Japan, Asia
19th century
Tobacco pipe This fancy pipe has an amber mouthpiece and brass bowl and cover. Bedouin people (probably), North Africa / Middle East, Asia
Porcelain pipe
East Asia, unprovenanced
Silver pipe
East Asia, unprovenanced
64
19th – early 20th century
? 19th – early 20th century
Kiseru, tobacco pipe Japan, Asia
19th century
? 19th – early 20th century
65
Xhosa tobacco pipe The Xhosa people of Southern Africa carved pipes from a single piece of wood from the common hook-thorn tree using hot wire to hollow out the stem. The length of the pipe and size of the bowl increase according to the owner’s social status. Although smoking has become less popular the pipes are still displayed in homes as symbolic links to ancestors and as part of traditional dress. Xhosa people, Southern Africa
19th – early 20th century
Xhosa tobacco pipe Xhosa people, Southern Africa
Late 19th – early 20th century
Pipe smoking is a long established religious practice for the Xhosa people of Southern Africa as a way to communicate with the ancestors and seek protection from spirits. The pipes are therefore of great significance and often highly decorated, like this pipe in the shape of a man riding an ox.
Meerschaum cheroot pipe The small size of this pipe indicates that it was used for smoking cheroot cigars, which would be inserted into the bowl. This would avoid tobacco-stained hands and gloves. Meerschaum is a porous clay mineral, extremely popular for making carved pipes in the 18th and 19th centuries. Meerschaum pipes absorb tar and change colour from cream to orange to red the more they are smoked.
Europe, unprovenanced
19th century
Photo : David Edge
66
67
Words offered by visitors This gallery is built on a foundation of shared experiences that were offered by thousands of people at the start of the project. The words are a mix of values, emotions and actions and they’ve shaped the way the collection is displayed and explained Here are a few that relate to this zone.
68
bodies wellbeing anxiety body parts doctors hospital childbirth cooking water feeding chewing taste beer staying healthy old medicine licking out a yoghurt pot body showering brushing teeth human body
washing health hearts suffering hearing hearts survive bread yoghurt eating together digestive system black tea fresh naan basic needs poverty disease depression organs breathe sneezing genetics pooping bodily functions nurture tasting coffee sharing food personal care cuisine clean water hunger eating fruit farting 69
Glossary
Acknowledgements
Here are explanations of a few terms used in this guide
‘Objects of love, hope and fear’ has been coproduced with an amazing team of volunteers, visitors and partners. Our deepest thanks go to out to all of you for your generosity of time, knowledge, skill and energy.
BCE
An extra special thank you to:
Before Common Era (equivalent of BC ‘before Christ’)
Sheikh Qazi Abdul Mateen Al-Azhari
Alan Foord
Rajaa Sakhari
CE
Lisa Graves
Gaye Sculthorpe
Andy & Margaret Austen
Jeff Hallam
Lizzy Serieys
Common Era (equivalent of AD ‘anno Domini’, the year Christ was born)
Soshain Bali
Theresa Hempsall
Susan Sharif
Sheana Barby
Stephen Hill
Val Shelton
Richard Bartle
Anne Ishikawa
Christopher Simpson
Wendy Biz-Lage
Bali Jenkins
Alison Solomon
Ollie Brown
Lisa Kavanagh
Alice Southwood
James Bucklow
Zachary Kingdon
Celeste Sturgeon
Clare Calder-Marshall
Michelle Laverick
Jackie Taylor
Andrew Carrier
Steve Lockley
Jonathan Taylor
Richard Carter
Antonia Lovelace
Chevy J Thompson
Shannon Cherry
Emson Maneya
Tim Unwin
c. Abbreviation of circa, a Latin word meaning ‘around’ or ‘about’
Pacific Ocean Islands in the Pacific Ocean east of Indonesia and Australia
Sub-Saharan Africa
Lia Colombino
The area south of the Saharan desert in the continent of Africa
Katarina Massing
Karim Vahed
Melissa Coons
Adam McCready
Shelagh Wain
Elspeth Cranston
Amelia Meran
Toni Walford
Unprovenanced
Ed Darby
Zagba Oyortey
Kat & John Woodward
Lubna Din
Oral Phillips
Sarah Worden
Dubrek Studios
Naomi Pierrepoint
Barbara Woroncow
Serene Duff
Helen Powell
Kerry Edwards
David & Janette Edge
Adeena Raslee
Hope Falk
Alison Englefield
Steven Pryce
Jade Foster
Catherine Falkner
Naomi Rubinstein
Margaret Wright
The object’s place of origin is unknown
Guide co-designed with Leach Studio. Published by Derby Museums 2018.
70
71
Please take photos and share your thoughts and ideas.
#DMWorldCulture