Prayer Wheel, 1800-1899, wood, 7.5 inches long, Judge John Webb Green and Ellen McClung, 1957.3.152.
An example of a Tibetan prayer wheel made of wood, although they are most commonly made of metal. Prayer wheel cylinders contain a paper roll on which Buddhist texts are printed. The prayer wheel is spun in prayer, usually clockwise to coincide with the sun and the direction that the mantras are written, to accumulate wisdom and merit (good karma) and to purify negativity (bad karma).