This is a fishing box, or tuluma, made in Tuvalu. It measures 15 cm x 15 cm x 21 cm. It was purchased in the 1980s.
The tuluma has a tight-fitting lid, secured to the main box with a plaited coconut fibre cord so it doesn’t float away if it accidentally falls overboard.
Tuluma are also traditionally made by fishermen in other parts of Polynesia. The boxes can vary in shape and size, depending on the purpose for which they are designed. One of this size, for example, would be adequate for a single fisherman in a canoe to carry some tackle and spare hooks.
