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Digging Stick
20th Century
Wosera Abelam culture 
Papua New Guinea
Wood and pigment
Anonym…
Digging Stick
Digging Stick
20th Century
Wosera Abelam culture 
Papua New Guinea
Wood and pigment
Anonym…
Digging Stick 20th Century Wosera Abelam culture Papua New Guinea Wood and pigment Anonymous Gift, 97.138.1

Digging Stick

ClassificationsTools and Equipment-digging sticks
Culture Wosera Abelam
Date20th Century
Made AtEast Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea
MediumWood and pigment
Dimensions18 1/4 × 1 1/2 × 1 7/16 in., 3.35 oz. (46.4 × 3.8 × 3.7 cm, 0.095 kg.)
In Mount: 19 3/4 × 2 7/8 × 2 7/8 in. (50.2 × 7.3 × 7.3 cm)
Credit LineAnonymous Gift
Object number97.138.1
DescriptionDigging sticks are used during the planting and harvesting processes of yam cultivation. For yams to grow to great lengths, the soil must be dug ahead of time to make sure that yams are able to grow without much resistance from the earth. This may have been either a ceremonial digger or a shorter version of one of the spears used to harvest yams.
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