Shuttlecock
date: label: Accession Date
content: 24 Apr 2006
label: Collection Date
content: 1964
name: label: Collector
content: Dr. Dolores Newton
label: Donor Name
content: Dr. Dolores Newton
notes: label: Notes
content: Shuttlecock made of cornhusks folded around a ball made of corn husk. The center ball is made from rolled fiber cord made from corn husks. The ends of the folded husks are tied off, creating the "tail". Center portion of tail cut evenly. Dr. Newton says that these (a-d) were obtained from and made by Huklu, a 49 y/o male. His son Choikru, a 17 y/o male, assisted in preparing the inner part. These are unused, because they were made as demonstration pieces. These are leaves enclosed by corn husks, cordage is s-rolled buriti frond. Shuttlecocks are used in the pohupru ceremony held at the beginning and again at the end of the rainy season; a few dozen of these are made for a game played in the village center as part of the ceremony. A shuttlecock would be thrown up into the air while male players repeatedly hit it up again as it fell. Once it hit the ground, it would be out of play. For the final play a large shuttlecock (containing a piece of wood at the center) would be used. The rationale of this ceremony was that the shuttlecocks represented rain and by keeping them up in the air as long as possible the onset of rains would be delayed or their end hastened. Newton field photos: see photos from Janauary and May 1964 ceremony for 1964:256. Price paid: .50 crn.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 2 Dec 2014
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Sao Jose, Maranhao, Brazil, South America
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Krikati
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 400194
label: USNM Number
content: E431399-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Shuttlecock
physicalDescription: label: Length
content: 7 cm
label: Width
content: 16 cm