Collections: Arts of Africa and the Pacific Islands: Stopper for a Lime Container in the Form of a Bird

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Stopper for a Lime Container in the Form of a Bird

Long, transverse bamboo flutes are used throughout the Sepik region. They are usually played in pairs by men and are used in a ritual context reserved for fully initiated men. The most important rituals are accompanied by flute melodies that represent the voices of mythical birds and, through them, certain incarnations of ancestors. The flutes are decorated on the upper ends with carved stoppers, which in turn are further decorated with brightly colored leaves and feathers.


• Medium: Wood, clay, pigment, fiber, shell
• Place Made: New Guinea, Sepik River, Papua New Guinea
• Dates: 19th century
• Dimensions: 14 1/2 x 2 3/4 x 1 1/8 in. (36.8 x 7 x 2.9 cm)
• Collections: Arts of Africa and the Pacific Islands
• Museum Location: This item is not on view
• Accession Number: 51.197.1
• Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alastair B. Martin, the Guennol Collection
• Image: Overall, 51.197.1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
Stopper for a Lime Container in the Form of a Bird, 19th century. Wood, clay, pigment, fiber, shell, 14 1/2 x 2 3/4 x 1 1/8 in. (36.8 x 7 x 2.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Alastair B. Martin, the Guennol Collection, 51.197.1 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 51.197.1.jpg)
• Catalogue Description: An ornamental stopper carved in the form of a bird and painted red and white. It was probably used as a stopper for a flute. It has a number 6960 on its base. Condition: Good, but there is some cracking of paint near the top of the crest.