Inlaid Bowl

The sea and its creatures have always played a predominant role in the life of the Solomon Islanders. Marine motifs on ceremonial objects such as bowls allude to various sea spirits, which can appear in either threatening or benevolent manifestations. Spirits in the shape of the highly prized bonito and the guiding frigate bird were traditionally seen as supportive, because the frigate bird leads fishermen to schools of bonito fish, which provide abundant food. Large ceremonial bowls stored in cult houses were brought out on festival occasions; families owned and used smaller bowls. The maker of this hollowed-out, horizontal bowl on a footed base carved the body as a swelling frigate-bird form. He blackened the surface and edged the rim with delicate shell inlays, which also appear as eyes on the animal-shaped handles. An upside-down frigate bird supports the projecting tail; a bird's head grasping a curved fish forms the front handle and is a common motif in bowls from this region.