spoon (food processing & storage); tesukalt; tisukalin

Wood spoon, incised decoration.

Item number 40 on Jeremy Keenan's item list. Wooden spoon called 'tesukalt' (plural 'tisukalin') in Tamahaq. Keenan acquired this object from Sidi Mohammed of the Kel Hirafok people. Price paid: 30 dinar (for five spoons). Keenan refers to fig 191 in Johannes Nicolaisen's 'Ecology and culture of the pastoral Tuareg: with particular reference to the Tuareg of Ahaggar and Ayr' (Nicolaisen, 1963, p 249, fig 191). For the four other spoons, see also 1971.1035 to 1971.1038. This type of spoon is cut by blacksmiths ('inadan') from the wood of the 'taburak' tree (Balanites aegyptiaca) (Nicolaisen, 1963, p 249).

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk