Adaba

'Adaba' - Ronald Taylor carved this in the 1990's, from banya wood. It is a small sculpture that represents a special Amerindian frog that was used to rub on the skin in order to bring good luck. The upper, hooked part of the carving symbolises the tiger bird, which 'protects the hunter and the fisherman'. The tiger bird lives on a particular fruit tree that grows in the river marshlands where fish is plentiful. A small sculpture of very smooth dark wood topped by the head and beak of a bird, with a humanoid (or possibly frog) face below. 'R. Taylor' is carved into the base of the sculpture.

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
2003.432
PLACE
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
overall: 247 x 72 x 61 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
wood
CATEGORY
Anthropology: Ethnography
SHAREABLE LINK

Continue exploring anthropology

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The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive.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