Lime gourd and spatula - Lot 53

Lime gourd and spatula Iatmul Middle Sepik Papua New Guinea Carved wood, pigments H. 58 cm This engraved and braided bamboo serves as a container for a fine spatula made from a wood assembly. The Iatmul and neighboring human groups in the Middle Sepik region use areca nut, the fruit of the betel palm, to produce a mild stimulant effect. To prepare betel, areca nuts are crushed and then mixed with lime made from burnt shells and coral. This mixture activated the areca nut's psychotropic properties. Containers and spatulas, used respectively to hold and serve the lime, had both ceremonial and functional functions. Lime gourds were offered to young men at the end of their initiation to mark their newly acquired status.