bullroarer; carved black palm wood (yaman), flattened oval in cross section, with bifurcated end below which is small bored perforation; string inserted through perforation, bullroarer swung around to produce the “spirit voices”. Kept in the men’s house, sounded during ceremonies to keep the women away
Donor:
Ellsworth La Boyteaux and Mrs. Ellsworth La Boyteaux
Collection place:
New Guinea, Melanesia
Culture or time period:
Abelam
Collector:
Bruce D. Lawes
Object type:
ethnography
Object class:
Carvings (visual works)
Function:
5.3 Objects relating to the Secular and Quasi-religious Rites, Pageants, and Drama