Summary
This is a very rare object made from the humerus of a pelican. The container is formed by closing one end with resin or beeswax, and it was used to hold tobacco. Aboriginal people became addicted to tobacco first brought by the Macassans and then Europeans, and was highly prized as a commodity in exchanges for artefacts.
Local Name
Ngarraka warrkan
Physical Description
A section of the humerus of a pelican with resin applied at one end to form a container.
More Information
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Object/Medium
Container
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Maker
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Locality
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Date Produced
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Collector
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Date Collected
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Object Measurements
110 mm (Length), 20 mm (Width), 15 mm (Height)
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Classification
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Date Made
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Maker
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Clan/Language Group
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Place Made
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Indigenous Region
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Keywords
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Acquisition Information
Long-term Loan from The University of Melbourne, 28 Mar 1973
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Collection Names
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Type of item
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Discipline
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Category
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Acknowledgement
The Donald Thomson Collection. On loan to Museum Victoria from The University of Melbourne.