Coconut grater
Artist
Unknown
MediumWood, mother-of-pearl (nacre), twine
Dimensions15 1/8 x 11 x 24 3/8 in. (38.4 x 27.9 x 61.9 cm)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Hanes
Object number86.11
On View
Not on viewTools used for preparing food in Micronesia were simple but highly effective. The elegant and graceful simplicity of this implement may remind viewers of an abstract modern sculpture. The object was designed to allow a woman grating coconuts to sit astride its curved slope while working the coconut meat from the back of a mother-of-pearl grate inserted at the top of the structure. The coconut grater was an essential tool in the Caroline Islands, where the main food staples were fish, taro (a root vegetable), yams, bananas, and coconuts.Published ReferencesUNCG Magazine 2, no. 1 (Fall 1999), illus. (color) 7. Object Rights Statement
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