|
Finch & Co
|
|
|
|
|
Elema people, Gulf of Papua, Papua New Guinea armband
( Papua New Guinea
1800 to 1900
)
|
Medium
shell , cut shell discs, braided fibre and beads
|
Dimensions
5.00cm wide
10.00cm deep
(1.97 inches wide 3.94 inches deep)
|
Provenance
Provenance : Sold by the descendants of a Suffolk family whose uncle resided in New Zealand in the first quarter of the 20th Century
|
Literature:
The Elema assessed their most valuable shell ornaments; clam shell armlets and crescent pearl shells according to their size and finish. They were often exchanged as currency, as well as being used as body decoration by men. They would be worn on special occasions as a sign of wealth, and were sometimes given to cement relationships. When they gave them they would ceremonially hang them from a pole. Exchanges were the high point of all festivals when these armbands as well as strings of overlapping shell discs and dogs teeth were exchanged, often for pigs.
|
Description / Expertise
Elema people, Gulf of Papua, Papua New Guinea clam shell Arm band decorated with glass beads, and cut shell discs tied with braided fibre
19th Century
Size : 10 cm dia. x 5 cm wide
4 ins dia. x 2 ins wide
|
|
|
Email a friend
Add to favourites
Search again
del.icio.us
