1157 – Pointing Bone Curse

Physical description:

Bone-pointing curse - 2 forked sticks supporting a heron's head that has a small pearl in its beak, feathers, a hagstone, a heron's leg bone, and a large bone needle.

Museum classification:

Curses

Size:

350 x 320 x 123

Information:

Pointing Bone (Deute Bain).
Pointing something, even a finger, at someone is a very old form of cursing.
The structure is turned so that the heron's beak points to where the curse is to be directed. The heron's upper leg bone is then tapped repeatedly with the large bone needle.
A technique derived from Australian Aboriginal practice.

Resource:

Object

Materials:

Bone, wood, feather

Pointing Bone (Deute Bain).
Pointing something, even a finger, at someone is a very old form of cursing.
The structure is turned so that the heron's beak points to where the curse is to be directed. The heron's upper leg bone is then tapped repeatedly with the large bone needle.
A technique derived from Australian Aboriginal practice.