Pounder Item Number: C339 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Description
Long, cylindrical stone pounder with head at top. Face has inlaid shell eyes.
History Of Use
For food
Narrative
According to Burnett, this pounder was looked upon as a charm by the villagers from whom it was obtained, who appeared to use only wooden punders. He also wrote: "... my most valuable finds were a black stone food masher, one end carved into a female head with inlaid, pearl, shell eyes; also a woman's bust in ebony...." He later states that after "... several ineffectual attempts to obtain these two valuable articles, I enlisted Mr. Wheatley's services, with the result that I eventually secured them." He also wrote, regarding the pounder, "The native owner ... could give no idea as to its history. All he could say was that no one in the village knew from whence it came, ...that not even the oldest inhabitant had ever heard or known of stone food mashers being used, ...that the consensus of belief was that the Gods had made it."
Item History
- Made in New Georgia, Solomon Islands before 1909
- Collected during 1909
- Owned by Frank Burnett before 1927
- Received from Frank Burnett (Donor) on July 25, 1927
What
- Name
- Pounder
- Identification Number
- C339
- Type of Item
- pounder
- Material
- basalt stone and shell
- Manufacturing Technique
- carved and inlaid
- Overall
- height 47.6 cm, width 5.0 cm, depth 6.5 cm
Who
- Culture
- Solomon Islands
- Previous Owner
- Frank Burnett
- Received from
- Frank Burnett (Donor)
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- New Georgia, Solomon Islands
When
- Creation Date
- before 1909
- Collection Date
- during 1909
- Ownership Date
- before 1927
- Acquisition Date
- on July 25, 1927
Other
- Condition
- good
- Current Location
- Case 65
- Accession Number
- 2191/0731