Lime Dipper or Pin with Owl

1–800 CE
Overall: 22.4 x 2 x 1.6 cm (8 13/16 x 13/16 x 5/8 in.)
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Did You Know?

Chewing coca leaves remains popular among indigenous communities in the Andean region.

Description

An engaging miniature owl forms the finial of this dipper, which was used during coca-chewing rituals. Typically, coca leaves were chewed into a quid; then, with a dipper, lime made from powdered seashells was added to the quid to enhance the leaves' gentle stimulating effects. Contemporary natives regard coca as crucial to creating both social camaraderie and communion with supernatural forces; the same may have been true in the past.
Lime Dipper or Pin with Owl

Lime Dipper or Pin with Owl

1–800 CE

Isthmian Region (Colombia), Calima, Yotoco period

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