A Papuan sorcery tube
Abstract
From His Excellency, Judge J. H. P. Murray, Lieutenant-Governor of Papua, the Trustees have just received as a donation, a small bamboo box, or tube (Fig. 1), used for the purpose of sorcery.
This receptacle, known as ile, is from Modeva Village, on Suau, or Stacey Island, South Cape District, Eastern Division, Papua. The tube is an ordinary section of bamboo, with a length of 4 1/4 inches and a diameter of 1 1/2 inches, the internode forming the bottom, and capped by a rind lid. This latter has been identified by Mr. E. Cheel, of the Botanic Gardens, as the rind of a lime (Citrus). Some transverse scratches are added near the upper margin of the tube which may be scars produced when trimming the lid....
