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Table 1 Descriptions of the six museum artefacts sampled in this study

From: Chemical characterisation of museum-curated ethnographic resins from Australia and New Guinea used as adhesives, medicines and narcotics

Sample

Artefact Description

Geographical Origin

Collector and Date Collected

Photograph

Notes

Description of sample

PRM23

“Xanthorrhea (‘blackboy’) gum from the base of a burnt grass-tree stem.”

Near Mount Victoria in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia

Henry Balfour, 23 August 1914

Local name: ‘black boy’

Deep red, brittle

Function: Adhesive

Accession number: 1914.38.3

PRM25

“Cowrie [shell] filled with spinifex gum, used by the TAKETA (doctor) for rubbing over the affected part.”

Sherlock River, (NW) Western Australia

Emile Clement, by 1924

Cultural group: Ngarluma (Gnalluma)

Black, hard

Function: Medicinal

Catalogue card: “Medicine” shell (Cypraia serpentis) filled with gum. The Taketa (doctor) rubs the patient with this. Length of shell 6 cm.

Accession number: 1924.63.11

PRM26

Cowrie filled with spinifex gum, used by the TAKETA (doctor) for rubbing over the affected part.

Sherlock River, (NW) Western Australia

Emile Clement, by 1924

Cultural group: Ngarluma

Yellowish black, glassy and brittle

Function: Medicinal

Catalogue card: “Medicine” shell (Cypraia incipiens) filled with gum. The Taketa (doctor) rubs the patient with this. Length of shell 4.8 cm.

Accession number: 1924.63.12

PRM27

4 lumps of bees wax

Wanigera (Wanigela), in Collingwood Bay, Oro Province, British New Guinea

W.H. Chignell, by 1908

Cultural group: Ubir

Yellowish brown, soft and waxy

Function: Adhesive

Local name: kemeri

Catalogue card: “Wax, Kemeri, from wild bees’ nests, for fixing ornamental seeds, beads, etc.”

Accession number: 1908.70.93

PRM28

4 lumps of bee’s wax or resin used as an adhesive.

Wanigera, in Collingwood Bay, Oro Province, British New Guinea

W.H. Chignell, by 1908

Cultural group: Ubir

Yellowy amber, glassy and brittle

Local name: fiufiu

Function: Adhesive

Catalogue card: “fiufiu, resin used as an adhesive”.

Accession number: 1908.70.94

PRM29

“Gum from the canarium almond tree. Mixed with tobacco to make a cool smoke. In a native packet of palm leaf.”

Kurtachi, Bougainville, Northern Solomons province of Papua New Guinea

Beatrice Blackwood, 1930

Cultural group: Kurtachi village

Black, brittle

Local name: tagon

Function: Narcotic

Catalogue card: “Tagon. Gum from canarium almond tree. Mixed with tobacco to make a cool smoke. In a native packet of palm leaf.” 17 cm width c.4.8 cm Colour dark brown.

Accession number: 1931.86.335