posted on August 26, 2001 01:08:23 PM
Another relative is dead. *sigh* And that unmistakeable word found it's way onto someone's lips...eBay.
Anyway, to make a long story short, the Probate Court, after a year of dragging it's feet, signed off the papers to one of my Uncle's Estate. Everyone got what they wanted, and now time to clear out his house and property for the Realtors.
Going thru his junk, in a wooden box, wrapped in cloth, I found a Wooden Bowl encrusted with Human and Canine Teeth.
Yes, you heard me right. A Wooden Bowl, encrusted with around 200+ teeth, from both Human and Canine sources.
Everyone is stumped at what to do about this discovery. I've told them maybe we should contact a Museum, as the bowl seems to have deteriorated and broken off a few pieces around the lip area. Some are wondering if my Uncle was a Satanic Cult Worshipper. Nevertheless, they want to keep this a secret and don't want to be "that" obvious.
Any advice on how I should calm their fears and get them to turn the bowl over to the proper authorities?? I doubt invoking a certain Federal Act would get them to hand it over.
:\\\\\\\"Crystalline Sliver cannot be the target of spells or abilities.
posted on August 26, 2001 01:20:38 PM
hmmm could be something you might concider Just tossing out ???
People do save teeth and hair or use to any how.
Don't seem like this peice is going to have much value in memory or monitary,Since no one will ever make sense out of this call the trash man to pick it up..
posted on August 26, 2001 01:45:40 PM
Maybe it is an artifact that your relative got from somewhere? This link mentions a carved bowl with human teeth.
posted on August 26, 2001 01:46:50 PM
Without a picture I would guess it could be a tribal ceremonial bowl. It has to be looked at in person by a real expert for you to know for sure.
If it is something nefarious you follow your own conscience.
posted on August 26, 2001 03:17:24 PM
some jeweler may bid on it and nake them into a necklace.
as for the bowl,donate it to some local taoist temple,they are always looking for weird stuff,weirder the better.
all this reminds me of a special program on tv called coffin in the sky,when working on the three gorges in china they discovered coffins buried high up in the cliffs,wondered how did these people get up there with no helicopter ??
dont forget they have to carry a loaded wooden coffin and then make their way back>
you heard of sea burial,land burial,now sky burial.
is your uncle reading this??
To search for old threads, scroll to the bottom on any AW page and click on site search. Type the relevant topic, keywords or User ID into the box, and check the "search the Message Center" box.
If you search for mrssantaclaus uncle, you'll find the thread
posted on August 26, 2001 07:22:28 PM
Not to make light of it, but don't sweat the little things. Someone has been named in charge of the estate, and it is basically up to them on what to do with it.
If you must be involved, you might check with your local college/university, with the anthropolgy (misspelled, I know: old bones) professor and get some advice from him. Who knows, maybe they are from a gorilla or chimp, a souvenir from a trip from Africa or something.
Dealing with an estate is hard. Concentrate on just paying the bills, if you can.
posted on August 26, 2001 07:47:05 PMCrystalline_Sliver, if you would like to do further research on these, try looking under refuse bowls, or ipu aina (which is Hawaiian).
Was your uncle's name David Forbes, William Wagner, or his last name Friedrich? Do any of these names ring a bell? These are the three names of the men in the link kiara provided above, who removed the teeth encrusted bowls from the Hawaiian (Hilo) burial grounds in 1905.
I'm familiar with the story. There is a remote possibility that this could be one of them, as not all of the items (bowls) removed were turned over to the Bishop Museum.
posted on August 26, 2001 11:09:04 PM
God, reading over some damn notes is tiring...
Anyway, I think I solved the mystery of the bowl. And it ain't Hawaiian.
According to the Probate Papers and one of my Uncles "Inventory Ledgers," this might have come from China. How he got it is way beyond me or what the heck it has to do with China. (Kinda reminds me of that Magnum P.I. episode where Master Robins bought a Tiki supposedly attributed to a Kamehameha, when Magnum "finds out" it only was a device to store industrial espionage film...)
This might also correspond to the fact that my Uncle was an avid traveler, as edvident by the 10 Passports he had. The earliest dates from 1939 when he was 17. Theirs at least 5 stamps from China (That I can make out), with 15 from Hong Kong. (and yes, I am in his house, looking over the stuff).
Anyway, I called an old friend, and she's planning to come by and take a look. She is in town till she's shipped back out on another expidition, so, I might get a ruling from her.
And I doubt he could be a Satanic Worshipper like some of my family implied...I found some old medical bills in his house that says he had a serious phobia of blood.
*in his most sacastic tone* I just can't wait for the next relative to drop dead and surprise us all!! *drops head*
:\\\\\\\"Crystalline Sliver cannot be the target of spells or abilities.
posted on August 28, 2001 05:27:16 AM
If he was a frequent traveler to China I'd bet that bowl is Tibetan. There are many examples of Tibetan bowls made out of human and monkey craniums, human bone work in jewelery etc.
