The Butterfly House is closed today due to a fault. Ticket holders will be contacted.
Wooden lid for kola nut bowl with carved in the shape of an animal. Benin City Woodcarvers Guild.
Bowls like this were used to store and serve kola nuts, a mild stimulant when chewed. Kola nuts were served to visitors and also offered as agifts to seal an agreement or as a sign of respect. This is still practised in many African societies today.
These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.
The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.
If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk
