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Clay whistle

Small vessel flute in the shape of a cat of prey, whose tubular tail served as a mouthpiece. The object has seven round openings and an open mouth. It was smoothed, sanded, primed, painted and polished. The primer is partially eroded. The instrument has a white-yellowish base colour, which was painted with black and red lines, ovals and dots. The decoration imitates the fur pattern of a cat of prey. Symbolic meaning: Holmes (1888: 183) and MacCurdy (1911) refer to discs, trapezoids and squares with dots in the centre as scale or alligator motifs. However, the same decorations also occur in other animal groups. According to Holmes 1888: alligator ware. According to Lehmann: Chiriquí style. Cultural significance: Stone (1958: 48) reports that objects of this type were associated with iron objects in a burial. She therefore assumes that these ceramics were still being produced in the Diquís region (Pacífico Sur) after the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors. (Künne 2004)

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Data Provider
Ethnologisches Museum Show original at data provider

Cataloguing data

Object type
musical instruments
Dimensions
Height: 6,2 cm
Depth: 12,6 cm
Width: 4,2 cm
Material/Technique
Sound
Current location
Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Inventory number
IV Ca 41529

Provenance and sources

  • Production
    when
    1000 - 1550
    where
    Costa Rica
    Punta Arenas
    Buenos Aires
    Llanos de Térraba
  • Collecting
    who
    Lehmann, Walter - Collectors
    Florimond Duc de Loubat (1831-03-31 - 1927-02-28) - Former Possessors
  • Assignment to a curated holding:
    American Archaeology

Information about the record

Legal status metadata
CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED
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