Whistle in the form of a finger
Life Story
This whistle is carved as a human finger with well-marked fingernails and lines marking the first joint. It is sounded by blowing across the opening at the end; the air-vent is below the side loop. Whistles were used in hunting, which often took the form of a line of beaters driving game towards a net where other hunters were waiting. In thick bush, whistles served as signals to regulate the line: if there was a kill, a whistle might sound a paean of triumph. In dancing, whether masked or not, whistles still play an important part in the musical accompaniment.
Margaret Carey, 1997
Entry taken from Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Collection, Vol. 2: Pacific, African and Native North American Art, edited by Steven Hooper (Yale University Press, 1997) p. 185.
Provenance
Purchased by the Sainsbury Centre, University of East Anglia from Merton Simpson Gallery, New York on the advice of Robert Sainsbury in 1980 out of funds provided by the Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Art Trust.
Not on display
Title/Description: Whistle in the form of a finger
Measurements: h. 52 x w. 22 x d. 14 mm
Accession Number: 769a
Historic Period: 20th century
Credit Line: Purchased with support from the Robert and Lisa Sainsbury Art Trust, 1980
