NOMA visit, rest of
Nov. 10th, 2009 09:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dragoness_eI promised Chinese snuff bottles, didn't I?
quote from NOMA placard on the collection of Chinese snuff bottles
Earth Spirit
Earth Spirit (left), Woman on Camel
At least I think that's a woman. You can't see too well because of the resolution of the picture and the angle of the photo, but the rider is carrying a rather large kitten or cub under one arm. The camel is heavily laden, and is absolutely snarling at the world.
Fun stuff from the land of headhunters, New Guinea.
Cassowary Bone daggers
Detail of Cassowary Bone dagger hilt
Indonesian knife
Note how even the blade has been decorated with cutouts.
Ancestor Pole
Household equipment for your average shaman. Each figure in the pole represents a known ancestor, and naming them all helps you summon their spirits.
I also had pictures of headhunter trophies, but they creep me out every time I look at them, so I don't think I need them here.
Sea spirits
I thought these looked neat.
Snuff bottles were originally made as portable containers for finely ground tobacco mixed with aromatic herbs and spices, known as snuff. Chinese snuff was intended to be inhaled, which caused not only a nicotine 'rush', but also sneezing and a clearing of the nasal passages. The Chinese believed snuff could cure headaches, lockjaw, stomach disorders, coughs, asthma and many other illnesses. Originally brought from the New World by European traders, snuff, and all the accoutrements necessary for 'snuffing' became extremely popular during the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). European missionaries, particularly the Jesuits, used snuff, and presented it as gifts and as part of their tribute to the early Qing emperors. The emperors, in turn, had their workshops fashion snuff bottles out of precious materials both for their own use and to be given as tokens of imperial favor....
quote from NOMA placard on the collection of Chinese snuff bottles
Chinese Terracotta Sculptures
Earth Spirit
Earth Spirit (left), Woman on Camel
At least I think that's a woman. You can't see too well because of the resolution of the picture and the angle of the photo, but the rider is carrying a rather large kitten or cub under one arm. The camel is heavily laden, and is absolutely snarling at the world.
Melanesian Artifacts
Fun stuff from the land of headhunters, New Guinea.
Cassowary Bone daggers
Detail of Cassowary Bone dagger hilt
Indonesian knife
Note how even the blade has been decorated with cutouts.
Ancestor Pole
Household equipment for your average shaman. Each figure in the pole represents a known ancestor, and naming them all helps you summon their spirits.
I also had pictures of headhunter trophies, but they creep me out every time I look at them, so I don't think I need them here.
Sea spirits
I thought these looked neat.
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no subject
Date: 2009-11-11 02:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-11 03:13 pm (UTC)If by "these" you mean museum pictures, they'll have to wait until I revisit the museum... though I do have a backlog of pictures from last year's visit to the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in California that I never got around to posting. I probably should work on those.
I will have more pictures from the local parks up soon, though.