C1834- Wood Hand carved. Bait Caster, Pancinko, Cartapel. From the same carver as C1850. Bapak Anton from Niki Niki. TTS West Timor

Despite its statuesque appearance this bait caster is perfectly functional.

The hand grip of this unique artefact depicts a strong Atoni male figure.

The cradle is a dedicated hand-woven string piece.

When these rubber bands get tired and perish, which they will, the inner tube of a bicycle tyre will last heaps longer....many more twangs in a bicycle tyre than rubber bands believe me.

20cm tall x 7.5cm wide.

8" x 3" wide.

100g / 3.7oz

The sad thing about these is that they are responsible for the near complete annihilation of birds in West Timor. Young boys and men carry these in their back pockets and in a land of very little food any protein source is fair game. 

You are welcome to combine items to maximise your postage. If you wish to gather multiple treasures try using the ADD TO CART/BASKET function instead of BUY IT NOW. If that does not work be patient I will always refund ebay's overcharged postage. 

International buyers are welcome. Aus Post has returned the international 250gr parcel. This is great news as it is more economical to post small packets internationally now. YAY! A true shame that they have not done so for domestic.

I am Julie and have been collecting Timorese Treasures in the field since 1990 when I won a prize for overseas travel in a pub in Darwin [true]. I had no idea at the time that I had stumbled upon an Aladdin's cave of authentic traditional tribal textiles and treasures. I have been returning annually ever since [well most years] and been witness to many changes across the last 3 decades. Who knows when we will be able to travel there again to obtain such treasures?

NOTE: We use recycled packaging and have to cover ebay's fees as they include postage/freight costs in their final fee [16%] [go figure!]

Clearly none of us are sure what will happen post COVID, if there is such a thing, but I do know that the villagers, carvers and weavers up in the mountains will be grateful when some outside dollars comes into their informal/circular economy. Therefore every purchase you choose to make with me will benefit the Atoni [people of West Timor] as soon as I can get back there.

I distribute reading glasses and nutritious food seeds as the soil in the western half of Timor is very poor and water a precious resource. Please contact me if you wish to contribute.