6 G. A. J. VAN DER SANDE. 



use against the inside of the sago pot is plainly visible in N°. 34, PI. I, fig. 16. When 

 not used, the spoons are generally, as shown in several of the photo's, stuck by both men and 

 women, between the upper armlet, whilst they are prevented by a hook from falling out. 



More even tlian thèse spoons, I found the three-pronged forks in use. De CLERCQ ') 

 lias collected such a fork from Wandisiau ; the prongs of this object, now in the Muséum at 

 Leyden, are however lying in a plane. But in the case of the forks now met with in 

 Humboldt Bay and on Lake Sentâni, they are placed in a triangle (N°. 41, PI. I, fig. 3, 

 N°. 42, 43 and 44, PI. I, fig. 2) which is certainly more favourable for use. PLEYTE [1896, 

 203, fig. 2] declined to accept for the above named objects the name of fork, because „they 

 are used in the same way as the Chinese use their chopsticks." Still I feel justified in con- 

 cluding from the sharp points of some of the forks to which I refer, that they are c. q. also 

 used for pricking the food. With other spécimens and in particular with the bone spécimen 

 from Asé (N°. 45, PI. I, fig. 7) the prongs are worn off obliquely by the wear against the 

 inside of the earthenware pots in which the sago-porridge is prepared and from which it 

 is also eaten. 



The consistency of this broth makes it very difficult for the uninitiated to get hold 

 of anything with the fork, the slimy substance slips through the prongs and must each time 

 be caught, by a dexterous swinging movement, on the upper part of the horizontally kept 

 fork. The fork is then brought across and into the opening of the mouth and the clod is re- 

 moved inside transversely. 



BlNK [1897, 193] tells us that before the sago meal such a trident was handed to him, 

 but I am willing to bet that he could not manage to eat with it. 



It seems curious that this kind of fork is not mentioned from K. W. Land, and it explains why a 

 real trident from Humboldt Bay with the prongs in a triangle was placed in the Muséum at Berlin 

 (N°. 13153) amongst the combs. N = . 15289 of the same Muséum, although presented by a trader as a 

 „comb", may also safely be placed amongst the forks, even though the prongs, as in the case of the spéci- 

 men of De Clercq, are lying in a plane. 



N°. 46, PL I, fig. 6 of the collection is made of the same kind of wood, but turned 

 into a four-pronged fork by splitting the middle prong. This shape is rare. Two spé- 

 cimens of the Rotterdam Muséum (N°. 6224 and 6225), of white wood, are also mentioned as 

 „combs" from Geelvink Bay, they are however according to shape and ornament (eye 

 ornament) without a doubt forks originating from more eastern parts. The next highly pri- 

 mitive culinary utensil (N°. 47, 48 and 49, PI. I, fig. 8 and 10) from Humboldt Bay and 

 Lake Sentâni, exclusively intended for the eating of sago-broth is manufactured from the 

 middle nerve of the side leaves of the sago palm, bent double into a pair of ton g s, both 

 ends blunt and one of the two hère carved fiât over a few centimeters, the other part usu- 

 ally left three sided. 



PLEYTE [1896, 203, fig. 2a] mentioned the spécimen first found, and now in Leyden 

 (Ser. 1122, N°. 3) as a spécimen from YVandamen. I hâve however ascertained that it is 

 widely distributed along the eastern parts of the Netherlands north coast and is there very 

 often met with, caught between the upper armlet (see fig. 33). They are also found in the 



1) De Clercq and Schmeltz [1S93, 70, N°. 395, PI. XXI, fig. 19]. 



