#67 • Papua New Guinea Food Pounder

Part of Professor’s Collection Part One: Pacific & Pre-Columbian Artifacts (live auction by Blue Box Auction Gallery)

High bid $35.00

Status: Sold

Estimated Value: $60-200 Origin: Papua New Guinea Dimensions: 2.5x2.5x16 in.  Condition: Light wear on the bottom and throughout Additional Information: A carved wooden food pounder from Papua New Guinea. It has a carved anamorphic head at the top and a tapered wider rounded portion at the end, with a flat bottom. It also is attached to a metal stand. The wood has a smoke-encrusted exterior patina due to being used around the communal feast fire pit. It was often used to pound out sago, which is a part derived from the pitch of palm trees. Sago is a staple food in many areas of Papua New Guinea, and these pestles, often adorned with carvings of animals or human figures, are essential tools for its preparation. The carvings on these pestles often have cultural and symbolic meanings, reflecting local beliefs and traditions.