Woman's Valuable

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Origin Belau

Title Woman's Valuable (Tolúk)

Date Late 19th or early 20th century

Medium Turtle shell

Dimensions Object: 8 1/2 × 5 × 1 in. (21.6 × 12.7 × 2.5 cm)
Overall: 8 1/2 × 5 × 1 in. (21.6 × 12.7 × 2.5 cm)

Credit Line Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ernst Anspach, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 77.68.2

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About this Work

With its simplicity of form, balance, and minimal decoration, this woman’s valuable is characteristic of much of the art of Micronesia. Small, shallow trays such as this, as well as turtle-shell spoons, are traditional forms of Belauan women’s wealth, exchanged between families at important occasions such as marriages and births. Tolúk are created by softening turtle shell in hot water and then pressing the shell between the pieces of a two-part mold. Once the three-dimensional form is created, the edges are carved.

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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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"Woman's Valuable | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=77.68.2