Lime Spatula

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Origin Ramu River

Title Lime Spatula

Date 19th–early 20th century

Medium Wood, incrustation, and and traces of lime

Dimensions Object: 19 3/4 × 1 × 2 5/8 in. (50.2 × 2.5 × 6.7 cm)
Overall (includes mount): 20 3/8 × 2 11/16 × 2 5/8 in. (51.8 × 6.8 × 6.7 cm)

Credit Line Raymond and Laura Wielgus Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 2010.2

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About this Work

A traditional part of a man's personal paraphernalia in New Guinea was a lime container and a spatula for betel chewing, a custom practiced on social and ritual occasions. Three substances are actually chewed together: the nut of a palm, which has a hot, acrid taste similar to nutmeg; the leaf, bean, or stem of the betel vine, which is a member of the pepper family; and slaked lime made from burned sea shells or coral or from mountain lime. Betel chewing is a stimulant, reducing hunger, creating a sense of well-being, and increasing a person's capacity for work.

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Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Lime Spatula | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=2010.2