Catalog Number
|
Catalog Number |
CAS 2013-0006-0064 | |
| Category | Carvings | |
| Object Name | Love stick | |
| Culture | Micronesian: Chuukese | |
| Global Region | Oceania | |
| Country | Federated States of Micronesia | |
| State/Prov./Dist. | Chuuk (Truk) | |
| County | ||
| Other Geographic Data | Village: Wonip, Faichuk region, Tol Island, Caroline Islands | |
| Maker's Name | Isikar | |
| Date of Manufacture | 1966 | |
| Collection Name | Richmond Collection (Chuuk Islands) | |
| Materials | Wood; Paint | |
| Description | Love stick that is carved from a single very narrow, rectangular piece of wood piece of wood; Width of piece varies along its length; Proximal third of stick is undecorated, while mid-section is painted black on all four faces and then series of hourglass shapes is carved away, leaving positive image of contiguous diamonds, accented by red or yellow scored lines; Distal end tapers to a sharp point, with series of notches and small barbs along lateral edges. According to donor, Isikar was the top leader in his clan at the time he made this, and one of the few village members who knew how to make traditional items. According to Isikar, “Legend has it that a young man would show the stick to his intended so that she could recognize him. In the evening he would push the stick through the thatch wall of the house and she, after seeing the pattern carved on the stick, would either accept or reject his intentions.†| |
| Dimensions (cm) | Width = 1.8, Thickness = 0.9, Length = 85.9 | |