A plastic bowl holds pieces of animal bone that have been burned at a high temperature (calcined). Calcined bone turns white and its texture becomes chalky. Women periodically rub this bone chalk on their fingers to aid handling of the cotton as they spin to make cotton thread from raw fiber. Also in the bowl is a round clay spindle whorl (gԑndԑ kaan in Nafaanra) painted with white lines and a daub of white-and black cloth. Gbao, September, 1982.
