Source [1,2,4,6]: @tribalgatheringlondon
Source [3]: atlasobscura.com
Source [5]: @metmuseum
Source [7]: dirishani.blogspot.com
Source notes [1,2,4,6]: “Consisting of a flat, folding X-shaped form, this fine coconut opener/stool (mbuzi) would have been traditionally used as a cooking tool to grate coconuts. Closely resembling an embellished bookstand like the type used to hold a Qu’ran, the surface is richly patinated, and finely decorated with Swahili designs found on household items along the Tanzanian coastal region. An extension, located at one end, would have been used to grate the inner shell of the coconut. A particularly unusual feature is the figurative form of the extension, depicting a female cradling her stomach in a gesture of maternity. It is rarer to find such stools/coconut openers with this type of extension.”
Source notes [3]: “The coconut grater stool has been around for centuries. It can be simple, sturdy with smooth wood, or designed to fold up (as Tanzania’s Swahili did in the 19th century) and decorated in mesmerizing geometric patterns“
Source notes [7]: “…I have never seen anything better than it for processing coconut at home. Earlier we were made to believe that it was used by either the Portuguese or Arabs during those times and we are still using it today. But if you look in the recipes for both the Swahilis, Arabs and the Portuguese, the Swahilis utilize coconut in almost all their recipes and I think the others actually adopted it from us.”
