Three medicine holders from the Atoni culture of West Timor, Indonesia.

Three beautiful containers/medicine holders from the Atoni culture of West Timor, Indonesia.

These containers are made from cow bones and intricately carved with complex geometric patterns, various repetitions of the kaif motif consisting of hooks and diamond-shaped points, associated with clan markings.

The caps were made of hard wood, skillfully sculpted in the shape of the heads of ancestors.

Early 20th century.