The punka (the word can be alternately spelled punkah) was a large wooden fan hung from the ceiling. Slaves or servants would pull the fan back and forth by one or two ropes, providing cooling to the diners and perhaps helping to keep flies and other insects off the food below.
The above punka was photographed at Linden in Natchez, Mississippi around 1940. This model had openings, rather than being a solid piece of wood.
Photograph from Nola Nance Oliver, Natchez: Symbol of the Old South, copyright 1940, Nola Nance Oliver, distributed by Hastings House, New York; digital editing by Sarah E. Mitchell.
The punka above was located at Melrose in Natchez and was made of solid mahogany. Until shortly before 1940, former slaves (who were being provided for by the Kelly family) would still pull the punka during meals.
Photograph from Nola Nance Oliver, Natchez: Symbol of the Old South, copyright 1940, Nola Nance Oliver, distributed by Hastings House, New York; digital editing by Sarah E. Mitchell. Information from Nola Nance Oliver, Natchez: Symbol of the Old South, copyright 1940, Nola Nance Oliver, distributed by Hastings House, New York.
The punka above was installed in Prestwould, Mecklenburg County, Virginia. According to Edith Tunis Sale, the cords used to operate the punka were pulled with a see-saw motion, and the breeze produced was quite remarkable.
Photograph from Edith Tunis Sale, Colonial Interiors: Southern Colonial and Early Federal; Second Series, William Hepburn, Inc., 1930; digital editing by Sarah E. Mitchell. Same photograph and additional information in Edith Tunis Sale, Interiors of Virginia Houses of Colonial Times, 1927, copyright Edith Tunis Sale, printed by William Byrd Press, Richmond, VA.
Copyright © 2003 Sarah E. Mitchell