Antique - Silver and Bronze - Betel Nut Box - Phillipines Maranao

Description

7.5” Long, 3.5” Wide 3.5” High. 5.75lbs Excellent Condition. No dents or missing parts.
Antique - Silver and Bronze - Betel Nut Box - Philippines Betel Nut Box with intricate inlaid silver designs on all sides. Rectangular shaped with chamfered corners containing four interior lidded chambers that held nuts, betel leaves and lime. From the Maranao people of Southern Phillipines.
Kings had special attendants whose duty it was to carry a box with all the necessary ingredients for a good chewing session. There was also a custom for lovers to chew the nut and betel leaves together, because of its breath-freshening and relaxant properties. A sexual symbolism thus became attached to the chewing of the nut and the leaf. The betel nut represented the male principle, and the betel leaf the female principle. Considered an auspicious ingredient in Hinduism and some schools of Buddhism, the betel nut is still used along with betel leaf in religious ceremonies, and also while honoring individuals in much of Southern Asia.