Australia Aborigine Burden carrier "Coolamon" Dish." "Poker work" Huge. 30"

Description

We purchased in the 70s from an Anthropologist who had bought it from the makers.    The coolamon is a burden container (including as a baby carrier), often carried with a sash wrapped around the middle (or center of gravity) and worn over the shoulder.  This is exceptionally large - 30 inches long and about a foot wide.   Decorated all over with deeply burned 'poker work' - a wire is heated in the fire and used to burn the design into the wood.    The design is all-over and is intricate, as the pictures show.  In addition to hollowing out the hardwood tree, the decoration must have taken hundreds of hours.
We have collected "ethnic art" for years.   One of its appeals to us is that art is expressed in everyday utilitarian objects.   Art is a part of the daily routine.   If you get somebody to explain the meaning of the designs to you , he is probably wrong.   If it makes an impression on you, get it.   These 'primitive' pieces are powerful art in their own right, without the interpretation of another.
We no longer have a place to display it.   It is offered at a fraction of its worth.
If you didn't want to simply display it, I have always thought it would be a great salad bar or holder for buffet dishes.   After all, it was made with heavy use in mind.