Lime Dipper or Pin with Owl

About this artwork

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.