Medical kit

Museum number:

9-17918a-f

Permalink:

ark:/21549/hm210917918a@2df

Accession number:

Acc.4219

Object count:

6

Description:

Shaman's medicine kit; A) basket, rectangular, plaited, damaged; bamboo on underside forms feet; blackened by smoke and fire; 21.5 cm x 14 cm; B) jar with corncob stopper which has four feathers inserted; jar has blackened surface; height: 16.2 cm; stopper length: 16 cm; C) fetish bundle of strung seed, glass and plastic beads, two small gourds, oyster shell, coins, black goat (?) horn, mammal tusk, small cloth pouch and two brass rings, longest pnt. l. ca. 30 cm; D) pouch, soft plaited basketry, contains stones, sherds, crystals; height: 12 cm; E) pouch, plain weave cotton, moth damage; long strap; 6 x 5 cm; F) jar, ceramic; globular with flat bottom; wheel marks; blackened surface; height: 9 cm.

Donor:

Beth Harnex MacLafferty Blake

Collection place:

Vietnam

Verbatim coll. place:

Vietnam, Pleiku; Jarai

Collector:

Beth Harnex MacLafferty Blake and Frank Otis Blake

Collection date:

1954-1959

Object type:

ethnography

Object class:

Fetishes and Plaited weaving

Function:

5.2 Magic: Objects Associated with Practices reflecting confidence in the ability to manipulate supernatural agencies and 8.2 Medicine and Hygiene

Accession date:

March 11, 1987

Department:

Asia (except western Russia)

Dimensions:

C— length 30 centimeters, F— height 9 centimeters, B— height 16.2 centimeters, E— length 6 centimeters, D— height 12 centimeters, A— width 14 centimeters, E— width 5 centimeters, and A— length 21.5 centimeters

Comment:

B) is probably a Chinese soy jar.