Unusual items from Timor

David · 21st February 2014, 03:05 PM

I'm not convinced that the first box necessarily belonged to a shaman. At least not one native to Timor. Most, if not all of the items in this box are not native to Timor. Quondong is a fruit specific to the arid regions of Australia. Both the fruit and the pits (stones) are edible and useful.
http://www.nullarbornet.com.au/themes/quandongs.html
The Wedge-Tailed Eagle is also primarily from Australia, though if has been know to range to southern New Guinea. Of course, Timor isn't really any further than New Guinea from Australia, but i don't see much record of sightings there.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedge-tailed_Eagle
The Emu claws would also be specific to Australia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emu
The list says the rubber is from Java, the only item not Australian, but certainly easy enough to obtain in Australia.
It seems more likely that an Australian who collected these boxes from Timor used at least one of them to store other curio items they collected more locally. I suppose it is possible that the old cigarettes came with the other box from Timor as that list suggests.
The things in the first box are of the kind that i would have collected and stored in such a box if i were an adventurous boy in the Australian outback. I don't see anything there that necessarily speaks of shamanism.

21st February 2014, 03:05 PM	#3
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,237	I'm not convinced that the first box necessarily belonged to a shaman. At least not one native to Timor. Most, if not all of the items in this box are not native to Timor. Quondong is a fruit specific to the arid regions of Australia. Both the fruit and the pits (stones) are edible and useful. http://www.nullarbornet.com.au/themes/quandongs.html The Wedge-Tailed Eagle is also primarily from Australia, though if has been know to range to southern New Guinea. Of course, Timor isn't really any further than New Guinea from Australia, but i don't see much record of sightings there. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedge-tailed_Eagle The Emu claws would also be specific to Australia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emu The list says the rubber is from Java, the only item not Australian, but certainly easy enough to obtain in Australia. It seems more likely that an Australian who collected these boxes from Timor used at least one of them to store other curio items they collected more locally. I suppose it is possible that the old cigarettes came with the other box from Timor as that list suggests. The things in the first box are of the kind that i would have collected and stored in such a box if i were an adventurous boy in the Australian outback. I don't see anything there that necessarily speaks of shamanism.