Isthmian Region (Colombia), Calima, Yotoco period / 1–800 CE
Lime Dipper or Pin with Owl
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Lime Dipper or Pin with Owl as metalwork (Isthmian Region (Colombia), Calima, Yotoco period · 1–800 CE).
Chewing coca leaves remains popular among indigenous communities in the Andean region.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this metalwork as gold, cast.
The museum's collection notes: 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.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtLime Dipper or Pin with OwlOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.