Description
Folding Coconut Husker Grater — Tribal African Art with Provenance
This rare and evocative piece of tribal African functional art is a Folding Coconut Husker Grater, collected by Dr. Louise Aall-Jilek, renowned humanitarian and physician. Dr. Aall-Jilek worked alongside Dr. Albert Schweitzer in the jungle hospital of Lambaréné, Gabon, and was a pioneering figure in the founding of the Mahenge Epilepsy Clinic in Tanzania. Her legacy is chronicled in the biography Moon Madness: 60 Years of Healing in Africa by Alan Twigg.
🪵 Craftsmanship & Features:
- Hand-carved from a single piece of dense African hardwood
- Features heart motifs etched into its surface, likely symbolic
- Designed for women to sit upon while grating coconuts — a daily domestic ritual
- Bears a richly worn patina, testifying to years of use
- Once featured a protruding metal or stone grating point (now missing)
- Folding design adds to its portability and ingenuity
📜 Provenance:
- A partial Cunard Line shipping label remains adhered to the wood, reading: Passenger: “Dr Louise Aall” Ship: “Carmania” Class: “Tourist” Port of Embarkation: “Le Havre”
📏 Measurements:
- 17 inches long (including point)
- 5 ½ inches wide
- Overall, in good vintage condition with surface wear consistent with age and use
This object holds both ethnographic value and deep personal history, embodying a unique intersection of utilitarian design, cultural heritage, and 20th-century humanitarian legacy.
