BLAOL, empty coconut

Relations

Item Relations

Item: AO MWITI LOWON, crab which defends itself with its claws String figure procedure involving mirror-symmetric operations: This Item

Graphical representation of this item’s relations

Citation

Eric Vandendriessche and Agnès Henri, “BLAOL, empty coconut,” String figures, accessed February 24, 2026, https://stringfigures.huma-num.fr/items/show/14.
  • Overall presentation

  • Name : BLAOL, empty coconut

  • Creator : Eric Vandendriessche and Agnès Henri

  • Contributor(s) : Markon (village of Fona, Ambrym, Vanuatu) - 2006
    Mata (village of Fona, Ambrym, Vanuatu) – 2016/17

  • Date : 2006
    2016-2017

  • Information on the string figure

    • General presentation of the string figure

    This string figures represents an empty coconut shell.

    Construction method (ISFA)

    1. Opening A
    2. T grab 5f. Release 5.
    3. Proximally, insert H into T loop and return to position.
    4. Pass R5 proximal to w loop. Proximally, insert R5 into R1 loop, hook up R1n and return to position.
    5. Proximally, insert L5 into R5 loop and return to position.
    6. Pass 5 distal to 2 loops. Proximally, insert 5 into 1 loops, pick up 1f and return to position.
    7. Proximally, insert 2 into lower 5 loops, pick up lower 5n.
    8. Release 5. Release 1. Release upper 2 loops.

    Construction method (symbolic writing)

    $ \underline{O}.A : p t (5f) : r(5) : \underline{i} H (t\infty) : r(t) \mid\mid \underrightarrow{m} R5 (w\infty): \underline{i}R5(R1\infty): \overline{h} R5(R1n) : \underline{i} L5 (R5\infty) \mid\mid \overrightarrow{m}5(2\infty): \underline{i} 5 (1\infty) : p5 (1f) : p 2 (l5n) : r (5, 1, u2\infty) \mid $

    Heart-sequence

    $\underline{O}.A : < \overrightarrow{5\infty} \rightarrow w : :\underrightarrow{1n} (w\infty): sl (R/L): sl \rightarrow 5: \overleftarrow{5\infty}\uparrow(1\infty):r 1 \mid$

    Accompanying words

    None

    Mathematical concepts involved

    Movements involved in BLAOL can be analyzed as the Mirror moves of those involved within AO MWITI LOWON
  • Item references

  • Key words : String figures, Ambrym Island (Vanuatu)

  • Publisher : Laboratory SPHERE (UMR 7219, Paris Diderot University & CNRS)

  • Rights : Creative Commons / Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike CC BY-NC-SA

  • Format : jpeg, mp4, eaf

  • Language : English, Ambrymese language

  • Location : Village of Fonah, North Ambrym, Vanuatu, South Pacific

  • Description : Ambrymese string figure, method of construction, linguistic data, cultural aspects

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