Producer unknown to us
Tinder pouch (me icag / mechag)
Asia, Tibet, Eastern Tibet
20th century
Brass, leather, coral, turquoise
Ümit Bir (gynaecologist) acquired the tinder pouch in Paris, France, on December 22, 1971
On permanent loan from the Dr. Bir Collection Foundation
SB 725
The name of the tinder bag me icag means “fire-iron” in Tibetan. The bag contained tinder that could be ignited by sparks struck with the integrated steel edge and an attached flint. Such pouches were used until the middle of the 20th century and were worn on the belt as a status symbol by both men and women.
Gynaecologist Ümit Bir (1929–2014) gathered most of his collection on several trips from Marocco to India from the 1960s to the 1990s. Unfortunately, we still do not know the exact circumstances of the acquisition of this object. Since 2004, the collection has been on permanent loan to the museum from the Dr. Bir Collection Foundation.
Jan König