ritual object

Magic object (Bedamuni: siamona gadofo). A magic object used for making rain (giibu saraasu). When it has not been raining for seven or more days, the men may begin to worry about the crops. Several leaves are then gathered in secret: ononobo (Hibiscus d'albertisii), sonofe (Uncaria lanosa), and katureme (Flagellaria indica), and a small piece of siamona bark is wrapped in the leaves. The bundle is then put under a stone in a fast running river.

This particular piece of siamona proved to be very successful and the ensuing day-long thunderstorms had to be appeased with counter-magic.

This object was given to Professor van Beek by Duduare.

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The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive.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.

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