Vintage Rice Spoon with Bird Handle, Indonesia, Lombok (1229MAE) $115

Description

This vintage Indonesian rice paddle/spoon was crafted from local wood by a Lombok craftsman and is a fine example of the cultural art of the Sasak people who number three million and comprise about 80% of its population. As animism farmers for two millennia, they lived in houses surrounding religious compounds where they held religious ceremonies. Inhabitants converted to Islam in the 17^th century.  An active Hindu-Balinese minority of about 300,000 ruled the island from 1750-1895 under Dutch rule and merged Lombok into the Netherlands East Indies. Today Hinduism, animism, and Islam culturally blend peacefully there, and much tribal, folk and ethnic art is made throughout the Island. Indonesian-woodcarvings like spoon this were used to beautify functional items used in their daily lives to please the gods and spirits. This approach continued at least in Indonesian island cultures until the middle of the 20th Century. The bird head on the handle is probably a parrot, indicated by its finely carved beak and angular cuts suggesting its delicate neck feathers. Parrots are revered throughout Indonesia, home to 85 species. This part of the VA collection of Tribal Art.