Poi bowl, carved ko wood
Hawaii
Collected by Phoebe A. Hearst, acc. 1908.
11-1237
Poi, the traditional Hawaiian staple food, is made from taro root, which is steamed or boiled and then pounded to a paste. It is often slightly fermented. Food bowls were carefully carved from hardwood, soaked in water and oil before and after carving, and polished to a high gloss. To repair a bowl was a mark of respect, and this fine example contains an unusual number of wooden insets.
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