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Gifts and "souvenirs" from my travels
Traveling the world I have been fortunate to find many remarkable "souvenirs" and gifts that I prize. Although I usually try to find local masks I have often found unusual items that speak of the place that I have visited. On more than one occasion I have been honored with gifts from tribal chiefs, colleagues, friends, and even strangers. Those gifts are irreplaceable and are priceless.
I have been traveling for a long time and I have accumulated many wonderful treasures. The house is getting filled, and trying to fit all these items where I can see them gets harder by the trip.
These are not great pics, just some quick snapshots of things that I own now.
MALAWI
Painted wooden bowl
Purchased in Lilongwe
MALAWI
Painted Chambo Fish
Purchased from the artist in Lilongwe
MALAWI
Hand woven grass reed basket
Purchased in Lilongwe
TANZANIA
Wooden Bowl (inside)
Purchased in Arusha
TANZANIA
Wooden Bowl
Purchased in Arusha
FRANCE
Limoge china Covered bowl
GIFT : Thanks to Caroline
KENYA
Wooden bowl/bone handles
GIFT: Thanks Kenyan Colleagues
ROMANIA
Hand painted egg
Purchased in Cluj
ROMANIA
Hand painted egg
Purchased in Cluj
ROMANIA
Hand painted egg
Purchased in Cluj
ROMANIA
Hand painted egg
Purchased in Cluj
LITHUANIA
Wooden Carved Egg
GIFT: Thanks Arunas
TUNISIA
Tile art
Purchase in Sidi Bou Said
RUSSIA
Painted wooden bowl
RUSSIA
Painted wooden spoons
The duduk (/duːˈduːk/ doo-DOOK; Armenian: դուդուկ IPA: [duˈduk]) or tsiranapogh (Armenian: ծիրանափող), which means “apricot-made wind instrument”, is an ancient Armenian double-reed woodwind instrument made of apricot wood. It is indigenous to Armenia. Variations of the Armenian duduk are found in other regions of the Caucasus and the Middle East, including Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, Turkey, and Iran. It is commonly played in pairs: while the first player plays the melody, the second plays a steady drone called dum, and the sound of the two instruments together creates a richer, more haunting sound.
The unflattened reed and cylindrical body produce a sound closer to the English horn than to more commonly known double reeds. Unlike other double reed instruments like the oboe or shawm, the duduk has a very large reed proportional to its size.
UNESCO proclaimed the Armenian duduk and its music as a Masterpiece of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2005 and inscribed it in 2008. Duduk music has been used in a number of films, most notably in The Russia House and Gladiator.
ARMENIA
Wooden instrument DUDUK
Purchased in Yerevan
NEPAL
Wooden Flute
Purchased in Baritnagar
JAPAN
Small ceramic vase hand painted
GIFT : Thanks to Shigiru, Kuniko, Aki & Miki
ARMENIA
Ceramic pomegranate
Purchased in Yeravan
RUSSIA
RUSSIA
GIFT: NESTING DOLL, Limewood, hand-painted
Matryoshka dolls are a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed one inside another. The name matryoshka, literally "little matron", is a diminutive form of the Russian female first name "Matryona" or "Matryosha"
Thanks to Anya
RUSSIA
UKRAINE
Ceramic hanging
GIFT : Thanks to Viktor
I found a quaint, small restaurant located in a basement near the main square in the Transylvanian city of Cluj. I was to enjoy a great local meal with rabbit, potatoes and vegetables. When I ordered a bottle of wine I asked the waitress for a local one. She recommended the local Merlot. I agreed to try it and when she brought the bottle to the table I had to took a double take when I saw the blood drop on the bottle! The bottle became a new treasure for me and the wine was excellent!
ROMANIA ( Transylavania )
Wine bottle with Dracula blood dripping on the label.
Drank in Cluj
NEPAL
Hand made woolen rug
Purchased in Kathmandu
ARMENIA/AZERBAIJAN (Karabakh region )
Vintage, hand-made tribal carpet bag used to carry water or oil vases on a donkey cart.
Purchased in Yerevan
NEPAL
Hand-carved wooden rhino
Purchased somewhere in Chitwan near Nepal/Indian border
ALBANIA
Marble ashtray resembling the many Soviet style bunkers that dot the country.
GIFT : Thanks to Fejzo
ARMENIA
Stone replicas of religious monoliths
GIFT : Thanks to Anahit
NEPAL
Hand made brick from Kathmandu
GIFT : Thanks to Shubh
ARMENIA
Metal pomegranate Christmas ornament
Purchased at outdoor market Yerevan
NEPAL
Carved wooden peacock
FRANCE
Ceramic biscuit from Nantes
Lefèvre Utile, better known worldwide by the initials LU, is a French manufacturer brand of biscuits, emblematic of the city of Nantes.
GIFT: Thanks to Catherine, Malo & Morganne
KENYA
Soap Stone Ceramic Plate
GUATEMALA
Hand made wall hanging using scrap materials.
Purchased in Antiqua
JAPAN
Wedding doll, ceramic
GIFT : Thanks to the Teraos
PERU
Hand carved and signed gourd, Evaristo Medina
Purchased in Santa Fe
USA
Hand-carved gourds
Over 20 years after I purchased the gourd from the Peruvian artist Evaristo Medina, I came across his daughter who now lived in Santa Fe and was an accomplished artisan in her own right. She like her late father both exhibited at the Smithsonian as well as many museums around the world.
Purchased one and was gifted another one from the artist Bertha Medina
LITHUANIA
Hand made wooden bowl
Purchased in Vilnius
ALBANIA
Olive wood pestle
Purchased in Kruje
TUNISIA
Olive wood covered bowl
TUNISIA
Olive wood vase
I was visiting the small village of Baja Verapaz in northern Guatemala. The community members prepared a homemade lunch for me and a small group that I was with. It was a wonderful gathering of the entire village, with locals dressed in their native dress, playing music on their old but effective instruments, and enjoying the local cuisine.
While enjoying the meal, I noticed that the plates and drinking cups were homemade. I asked about them and someone told me that they were indeed homemade from the local clay and then they pointed to a man who they said made them. I made my way to him and, through a translator, I asked if it was possible to purchase a set of them. The man nodded, we agreed upon a price, and within a few minutes. he returned with a box full of plates and cups. I made sure that this fragile package would be protected for the rest of my trip, and to this day, we use these handmade plates and cups in our home.
GUATEMALA
Handmade Mayan clay pottery dishes & cups
Purchased from a potter in Baja Verapaz
CHINA
Cloisonne lamp with signed base by the artist.
Purchased at Huai Rou Cloisonne factory
Cloisonne — well-known enamelware — is one of the traditional arts and crafts in Beijing, dating back over 500 years to the Ming Dynasty. It is often called the "Blue of Jingtai" as blue is the dominant color adopted for enameling. Decorative work in which enamel, glass, or gemstones are separated by strips of flattened wire placed edgeways on a metal backing. Cloisonné is an ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects. In recent centuries, vitreous enamel has been used, and inlays of cut gemstones, glass, and other materials were also used during older periods. The resulting objects can also be called cloisonné.
BOLIVIA
Handmade woolen table runner
Purchased at La Cancha market in Cochabamba
This market is the biggest outdoor market in South America, and everything is there!
UGANDA
Handmade Barkcloth wall hanging
Barkcloth ( lubugo is a non-woven fabric made from the bark of the MUTUBA tree and is produced by the Buganda tribe in Uganda. It’s called lubugo bark, which translates to “funeral cloth” or “shroud.” The cloth is widely used in Uganda’s art and craft industry
It was widely used in dressmaking and was widely worn by the Kings and queens of Uganda before the arrival of cotton.
Purchased in Kampala
ARMENIA
Brass Carving
GIFT: Thanks Anahit
UGANDA
Medicine man's carrying box
Wood
Purchased at an outdoor market in Kampala
NEPAL
Farmer's scythe with hand carved wooden "holster" & Prayer Beads
GIFT from local farmer near Pokhara
NEPAL
Wooden Cow Bell
Purchased near Pokhara
NEPAL
Hand made woolen
Traditional Thangka square wall hanging WOOL
Purchase somewhere outside Pokhara
ALBANIA
Hand made, wool carpet
Purchased in Kruje
ROMANIA
Contemporary artist ceramic bowl
Purchased in Cluj
Nicaragua
San Juan de Oriente Pottery
Purchased just over the Nicaraguan/Honduran border
San Juan de Oriente, Nicaragua is well known for its art work and has been a pottery center since pre-Colombian times. Today this village is home to many family run workshops and a pottery cooperative where a well-recognized style of pottery is being produced.
I was on the Nicaraguan border with Honduras and ran into an man who was selling these gems. He was from San Juan de Oriente and told me that he often times visited the Honduras to sell his work.
Nicaragua
San Juan de Oriente Pottery
Purchased just over the Nicaraguan/Honduran border
LITHUANIA
Hand carved angel WOOD
GIFT: Thanks Arunas
SIERRA LEONE
Hand carved man playing the Kora WOOD
GIFT: Thanks Rashid
The kora is a long-necked harp lute of the Malinke people of western Africa. The instrument's body is composed of a long hardwood neck that passes through a calabash gourd resonator, itself covered by a leather soundboard. Twenty-one leather or nylon strings are attached to the top of the neck with leather tuning rings.
GHANA
Wooden hand-carved candle sticks
Purchased from the woodcarver in Accra
TANZANIA
Hand-carved ebony wood
Purchased from the artist in the Arusha Maasai Market from the artist.
CAMBODIA
Traditional Khmer puppet Leather & wood
Purchased in Phnom Penh
CAMBODIA
Traditional Khmer puppet Leather & wood
Purchased in Phnom Penh
CAMBODIA
Antique ceramic and metal opium pipe
Purchased in Phnom Penh's Russian Market
TUNISIA
Hand loomed, sheep wool prayer rug
Purchased from the weaver in Tamezret
CAMBODIA
Carved stone Khmer Apsara dancer
GIFT: Thanks Sok Ling
The Apsara dance is a centuries old traditional Khmer dance and an important part of Cambodian culture.
CHINA
Metal replica of ancient Chinese statues
GIFT: Thanks Chen Taiyong
ROMANIA
Bucharest, Hand made, natural dyes woolen carpet
Purchased in Bucharest
NEPAL
Pashmina goat wool & silk carpet
Purchased in Kathmandu
PERU
Wool Inca wall hanging
Depicts The Family
Purchased in Cusco
GHANA
Wooden bowl
Purchased in Accra
HONDURAS
LENCA tribe clay pottery
The Lenca are a Mesoamerican indigenous people of southwestern Honduras and eastern El Salvador in Central America. Descendants of the Lenca, an indigenous ethnic tribe of Honduras and the eastern portion of San Salvador, are responsible for producing some of the most unique and impressive handmade pottery to be found in the Americas.
The Lenca women are the skilled artisans of this handmade pottery, applying preserved techniques of their craft from pre-Columbian times handed down through generations from mother to daughter. Fully developed in the creative process and appreciated for sublime workmanship, each piece is unique and reflects both ethnic tradition and contemporary creativity.
This skilled combination is the result of a conscious effort to blend old with new styles and the delightful fusion that results is an artistic leap conjuring up a current, often edgy, spin on the ancient Lenca style.
The aesthetics of this handmade pottery, crafted individually from hand-formed local clays, are notable with imaginative forms and shapes including conical pots, flattened bowls, and leaning, lipped vases.
HONDURAS
LENCA tribe clay pottery
HONDURAS
LENCA tribe clay pottery
HONDURAS
LENCA pottery Christmas bell
HONDURAS
LENCA pottery vase
KENYA/TANZANIA
Massai canteen made from horn, leather and shell
Gift from tribal chief
KENYA/TANZANIA
Fly Swatter made from warthog hair and wood.
Gift from tribal chief
KENYA/TANZANIA
Metal and carved wood Massai knife
Gift from tribesman
KENYA/TANZANIA
Metal and wood Massai spear
Gift from tribesman
KENYA/TANZANIA
Leather and wood, hand painted Massai shield
Gift from tribesman
ROMANIA
Hand made Linen table cloth with the maker's, Eva's name, and initials embroidered on it for me.
Purchase somewhere near Gilau
KENYA
Shepherd's sheep wool hat
Worn in winter in the mountains and high country by several tribes.
Purchased somewhere along the Great Rift Valley
HONDURAS
Hand made silver jewelry
Purchased from artist
Teguchigalpa
MOROCCO
Vintage leather camel saddle
Purchased in the Souks of Marrakesh
MALAWI
Hand carved wooden bowl
Purchased in Lilongwe
ALBANIA
Cotton table cloth
Purchased in Tirana
ROMANIA
Hand crafted reversable rug
GIFT: Thanks Calin
MOROCCO
Hand-made Prayer Rug
Purchased in a Souk in Marrakesh
Translvania ROMANIA
Lamb Skin Rug
GIft from Calin
NORWAY
Reindeer Skin Rug
Gift from Einar
CHINA
Jade carving
Gift from a Chinese family
Chengdu
I was going to dinner in a restaurant in China one early evening when I passed sitting around one of the restaurant tables a family with a newborn baby girl named LinBo. As I passed I stopped to admire the baby and asked if I could hold her. They graciously agreed and after a few minutes, I handed the baby back to her mother and walked to my table. Waiting for my food I wondered how I could give the baby a "good luck" gift from America. I happened to have several new, crisp dollar bills in my wallet and thought that this would be a simple gesture. I found the newest bill with the current year's date and walked over to the family and presented the bill to the parents. I think It got lost during translation and the parents thought that I was paying to take a photo of the baby. I quickly found someone who could explain that it was only a simple gesture of good luck to the child. They seemed to understand, we all had a laugh and I returned to my table.
About an hour later the father and mother approached my table with a small box and presented it to me as their gesture of thanks and friendship. When I opened the box I was shocked to see this beautiful piece of carved jade. What could I say but, Xièxiè, pronounced, "sh~s~ye sh~s~ye" meaning, thank you in Mandarin.
PERU
Hand Loomed, Wool
Wall Hanging
Inca Calendar
Purchased in Cusco
GERMANY
Silver Medallion
Commemorating the anniversary of the Cologne Cathedral
Gift
Hans Stollenwerk ( former POW )
Germany
Hand-Made & Painted
Toy Carousel
Gift from Birgit Stich
NEPAL
Nepalese Kukri
This knife was examined by several experts who agree that it was hand-forged and probably made in the late 19th century. When they saw it they instantly agreed that the handle was made from rhino horn. At the time of the purchase by my friend Whit's grandfather in the late 1940s or early 50s, this would have been legal to import into the U.S. Today the harvest of rhino horn is strictly prohibited internationally. Since it was purchased many years ago we agreed that this was probably legal at the time. As it was a gift, passed on to me for safekeeping, and not sold we felt it was ok to transfer it to me for its wellbeing.
The knife also has a beautiful handmade and stitched goatskin scabbard with three smaller pockets for knives and a sharpening stone on the backside.
The kukri or khukuri is a type of machete, and is traditionally associated with the Nepali-speaking Gurkhas of Nepal. The knife has a distinct recurve in its blade. It serves multiple purposes as a melee weapon and also as a regular cutting tool throughout most of South Asia. While in Nepal I would come across several villagers carrying one on their hips attached to a long scarf or sash. I was also fortunate to spend some time in Dharan in eastern Nepal close to the Indian Border. It is the place where a large number of former Brigade of Gurkhas personnel, mostly from Eastern Nepal, chose to settle on retirement.
Gift from an old friend, Whit Wilkinson. This knife was obtained by Whit's grandfather while in Nepal just after WWII and later passed on to him as a young boy in the early 1960s. I fashioned the stand and added the carved wooden rhino from Nepal to add to the display. Thanks, Whit!
NETHERLANDS
KLM Delph Blue Replica Houses
These are only given to Business Class passengers during the flight.
They are very collectible especially if they still contain the Boles alcohol! I obtained one with a special tag on it while flying out of a Muslim country. This one of course did not contain alcohol but with its tag is collectible too.
NETHERLANDS
DELPH BLUE POTTERY
GIFT from Nathalie, Gerda & Tom
NETHERLANDS
DELPH BLUE POTTERY
GIFT from Nathalie, Gerda & Tom
Netherlands
Dutch Houses Candle Holder
Clay
Gift from Antonie
SPAIN
Bandana
Running with the Bulls
The festival of San Fermín is a weeklong, historically rooted celebration held annually in the city of Pamplona, Navarre, in northern Spain. The most famous event is the running of the bulls. The festival involves many other traditional and folkloric events. It is known locally as Sanfermines and is held in honor of Saint Fermin.
Tradition points to the red color of the bandana being a symbol of the martyrdom of St Fermin, who was decapitated in the city of Amiens during the persecutions in the 3rd century. The red symbolizes the Saint's blood.
Yes, that is me running with the "stuffed" bulls in Pamplona! Check out my red bandana.
Lithuania
Amber Tree
Hand made Baltic amber tree
100% natural Baltic amber
Purchased somewhere in Lithuania
Paua Abalone
Pāua is the Māori name given to three New Zealand species of large edible sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks that belong to the family Haliotidae, known in the United States and Australia as abalone, and in the United Kingdom as ormer shells. To Māori, pāua are recognized taonga, or treasure, esteemed both as kaimoana (seafood) and as a valued resource for traditional and contemporary arts and crafts. Pāua are frequently used to represent eyes in Māori carvings and traditionally are associated with the stars or whetū, the symbolic eyes of ancestors that gaze down from the night sky.
Highly polished New Zealand pāua shells are extremely popular as souvenirs with their striking blue, green, and purple iridescence.
New Zealand
Gift from Lucy
Albania
Dancing Hand Painted/Wooden Figures
Gift from the Heifer Albania Staff
Cambodia
Brass Gong
Purchased in Phnom Penh
France
Cast Iron Fish candle holder
Gift from Caroline
JAPAN
Cast Iron Temple Bell
Gift from Shigeru, Kuniko. Miki, Aki,
Nepal
The Dhaka topi, or Nepali topi, is a hat that is still popular in Nepal, and which forms part of Nepalese national dress, worn by men on celebrations.
Gift from the Heifer Nepal Staff
Dhaka ko Topi literately means a "headgear made of Dhaka cloth", a fine cotton cloth once exclusively imported from Dhaka, the present-day capital of Bangladesh.
The Dhaka topi was a part of the Nepalese national dress, and a symbol of Nepalese nationality.. It became popular during the reign of King Mahendra, who ruled between 1955 and 1972, and made wearing a Dhaka topi mandatory for official photographs for passports and documents.[
Morocco
Leather & Metal
Candle Holder
Puerto Rico
Ceramic depiction of my grandfather's store in Arroyo PR
Gift from my cousin Annabelle
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