Snuffboxes – a master handicraft from Kashubia

Horn snuff-box had a symbolic meaning in the Kashubian region. Young boys used wooden or clay ones. Horn snuff-box was a gift from their father on the day of their wedding, on the day of founding their own family.

Horn snuff-box had a symbolic meaning in the Kashubian region. Young boys used wooden or clay ones. Horn snuff-box was a gift from their father on the day of their wedding, on the day of founding their own family.

Kashubian men valued their snuff-boxes higly, they used to be among the objects put in the coffin before the funeral. Snuff-boxes are made of horn (cow horn usually). Snuff-boxes are the most popular in Kashubia. They are important elements of the Kashubian tradition. Horn snuff-box had a symbolic meaning in the region. It was thought to be a symbol of manhood. Young boys used wooden or clay snuff-boxes. Horn snuff-box was a gift given to men by their fathers when they got married and founded their own families.

My Poland - rękodzieło kaszub - tabakiery

Snuff-boxes are made of horn (most often cow horn). They are hand-made. First, to soften the material horns are boiled in water with potato peelings for more than ten hours. Then, the bone core is removed and the material is formed into a snuff-box.

My Poland - tabakiery kaszubskie (1)

Shaped snuff-box is left in a special wooden press or vice for a day to set. The nozzle of a snuff-box is formed by heating over fire. Horn may be easily burnt or can crack, that is why this part of work requires special precision.

My Poland - oryginalne rękodzieło - tabakiery rogowe

Check out the collection of Kashubian snuffboxes