Vintage Antique Scrimshaw Carved Bone Lime Container From Indonesia / Anthromorp

What an amazing piece of a long standing tradition of betel nut chewing going back thousands of years! Read below for all the details about these elaborately carved artifacts.

This is an Old carved bone Lime Container from the Timor region of Indonesia. Betel is a mild stimulant chewed by about ten per cent of the world's population in an area stretching from East Africa across India, south-east Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines to New Guinea. The betel chew consists of the seed of the areca palm (the 'betel nut'), the fruit or leaf of the betel pepper vine, and mineral lime. The lime is kept in a container and taken to the mouth with an implement. Depending on the region, the lime containers are made from gourds, bamboo, bone, carved wood and often have finely detailed stoppers. In Indonesia and Asia in general, shapes and materials used for the receptacles that will contain lime powder or betel differ from country to country. The receptacles, boxes and carry-cases for the lime pow