Tooth Blackener
P49
From: Borneo | Sarawak | Silat River
Curatorial Section: Oceanian
Object Number | P49 |
Current Location | Collections Storage |
Provenience | Borneo | Sarawak | Silat River |
Date Made | Before 1897 |
Section | Oceanian |
Materials | Black Earth |
Description | Black earth for staining teeth. Batu tunai. Blackening the teeth, a form of "cosmetical adornment in which almost every tribe in Borneo indulges." "The staining is effected with a paste made of a greyish-black shale rock, called 'Tunai,' powdered very fine and mixed with water and the ashes of a wood. . . . " (The Home-Life of Borneo Head-Hunters) Used by both men and women. |
Length | 11.5 cm |
Outside Diameter | 0.8 cm |
Credit Line | Gift of Dr. William H. Furness 3rd., 1898 |
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