Collection place: Pahang State, Malaysia / Culture or time period: Southeast Asian cultures - Hearst Museum Portal Search Results

Start Over Collection place Pahang State, Malaysia Culture or time period Southeast Asian cultures

Hearst Museum object titled Adze, accession number 18-1101, described as Adze; woodworking tool. Handle: wood(”kayu belimbing,” “Averrhoa bilimbi” Linn.); shank: wood (”jerin tupai”) (”Pithecellobium microcarpum,” Benth); blade: steel; tie: rattan (”rotan tunggai”). Handle, round, wider at top, 83 cm. long; large split at top of handle. Shank, L-shaped. Blade, approximately 16 cm. long. Iron blade purchased in market, usually made by Chinese blacksmiths, but occasionally by Malays. Used for felling trees and shaping wood planks, especially in the manufacture of boats. Like an axe or adze (blade can be rotated to an angle). Handle in two pieces, the handle (”purdah”) and the shank (”sangul”). Before axes became common as trade item this tool was extensively used, presently used only for special purposes like shaping beams and boats. Made by men. Cost in U.S. dollars: 5.33.

Hearst Museum object titled Bark, accession number 18-1081, described as Bark: bark of “Artocorpus” (spelling?). Construction material specimen. Bark cloth, tying material, shoulder straps on carrying baskets, spinning top strings, etc. This piece of bark is part of the same batch from which the top strings (specimen #6) were made. Length 94 cm.

Hearst Museum object titled Basket, accession number 18-1109, described as Basket: ritual harvesting basket. Bottom of basket square with four corners. Top of basket round, pulled in just below top. Dark brown, twill plaited rattan. Container for first rice harvest each season. Carried under arm. Used during rituals on first day of harvest only. Used by either men or women, but usually women. Made only by men. On the first day of harvest only one small basket is harvested in this type of “tanking,” the contents to be used for harvest rituals. Taboo of silence maintained from time of leaving house and returning with new rice. Cost in U.S. dollars: 1.66. Height 19 cm. Diameter of top opening 17 cm.

Hearst Museum object titled Basket, accession number 18-1083, described as Container, food container: purple and green dyed, natural plaited “pandanus” rectangular container. Open work plaiting (decorative) at bottom of container with braid (single) 49.5 cm. long, knotted at end. 17 x 25 cm. (open plaiting forms triangle shape). Used as a container for gifts during rice harvest season. Filled with rice (hulled), or “empin” (a parched pounded rice product made only with newly harvested rice) and end sewn up. Used as a container for gifts to visitors (kin?) who help a family with harvest activities, probably ritual. No activities occurred during my [Don Lambert ?] research in which containers of this sort were required. These two containers (#42 and 43) are an example of an item people claim they used to make. I [Don Lambert ?] was unable to elicit a clear description of their former use, or exact rituals involved. Cost in U.S. dollars: 1.04. (see catalogue # 18-1084)

Hearst Museum object titled Basket, accession number 18-1078, described as Basket: rice storage basket, six sided shaped bottom. Used for storing rice, especially used for carrying on head. Most common container for seed. General storage container made by women and used by anyone. Can be made of other kinds of pandanus including “Menkuang padang” and “menkuang pandan.” Length 54 cm. Width 39 cm. Depth 23 cm.

Hearst Museum object titled Basket, accession number 18-1084, described as Container, food container: patterned, dyed and natural, plaited “pandanus” container. Rectangular, slightly narrower at opening, 38 x 25 cm. “Siku keluang” is the decorative motif here meaning “bat’s elbow.” Braided loop at bottom. Used as a container for gifts to visitors (kin?) who help a family with harvest activities. Filled with rice (hulled), or “empin” (a parched pounded rice product made only with newly harvested rice) and end sewn up. Probably ritual. No activities occurred during my [Don Lambert ?] research in which containers of this sort were required. These two containers (#42 and 43) are an example of an item people claim they used to make. I [Don Lambert ?] was unable to elicit a clear description of their former use, or exact rituals involved. Cost in U.S. dollars: 1.25. (see catalogue # 18-1083)

Hearst Museum object titled Basket, accession number 18-1110, described as Basket: plaited tube body of rattan, flared at top. Cross shaped wood base with rattan framing. Two bark straps. Twill plaiting. Basket used for carrying rice during harvest, plaiting also for general purpose carrying. Worn on back, harvested rice filled over shoulder. During rice harvest, carrying rice to be dried, during fruit harvest also storage container. Materials gathered by men. Framing and ties made by men, body usually woven by women. Remarks: “Rotan undang” (”Korthalsia” spelling?). “rotan kerai” (”Calamus luridus,” Becc.), “rotan tunggai” (”Calamus penicillatus,” Roxberap) (”Artocarpus elastica,” Reinw.), “meranti” (”Shorea” spelling?) This basket contains shavings of rattan from repair. Base was retied just before purpose. T o remove shavings will bring bad luck!! Cost in U.S. dollars: 8.75. Height 47.5 cm. Top opening diameter 37 cm.

Hearst Museum object titled Box, accession number 18-1073, described as Tray: rubber coagulating tray. Rectangular tin box without lid. Used to coagulate latex from “Hevea.” Latex poured in and mixed with coagulating agent such as acetic acid, when processing rubber. The tins are made by men, bought from merchants. Use by men and women. This size tray makes a rubber sheet having a dry weight of 8 to 10.5 pounds, many farmers now use an entire instead of a half tin to process larger sheets. (Cost in U.S. dollars: 42 cents). Length 34 cm. Width 24 cm. Height 11.7 cm.

Hearst Museum object titled Bucket, accession number 18-1106, described as Bucket: round bucket with handle. Encrusted with latex. Used to collect and carry latex to processing area. Carried through garden emptying filled cups into it. Used after the latex has stopped flowing. Made by Chinese tinsmiths and available in towns and some local stores. Cost in U.S. dollars: 1.00. Height: 24.5 cm. Diameter at top: 24 cm.