Old Big Man Chief Tribal Boar Trophy Bride price Necklace Currency New Guinea 27

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Old Big Man Chief Tribal Boar Trophy Bride price Necklace Currency New Guinea 27:
$99.99

This is an amazing pectoral ornament from Papua New Guinea. item number TUSK27

Original necklace collected in the field.

Highlands of Papua New Guinea,

Important Boar Hunter\'s Trophy, also used as currency, worth, bride price and as payment during feuds.Pectoral decoration or necklace consisting of 2 boar tusks attached together with a network of rattan and also attached to an unusual band in the shape of a ladder entirely made of seed beads. All handmade for a celebration or singsing. The tusk is large.The boars are not endangered nor killed for their tusks unless they are hunted for their meat for a feast and celebration, every part of the boar will be used in this case.

The tribes or Irian Jaya, Indonesiaand Papua New Guineahave lived in isolation for centuries due to the remoteness of their land andits difficult access. Their dress code has remained primitive for centuries.Traditionally, the men wear no other clothing apart from a penis sheath made ofa cultivated gourd and known locally as a “horim” and some simple ornamentationsuch as string hair nets, bird of paradise feathers and necklaces with boartusks or cowrie shells. In Papua New Guinea the upper canines of the boar areknocked out leaving the lower tusks to grow without being worn down by contactwith the upper tusks. The pigs are never killed except for feasts or as part ofa special ceremony. The tusks were used in pairs in single necklaces or inlarge necklaces consisting of 20 or more tusks. The necklaces and individualtusks were used to purchase land and also as bride price, blood money, ransom,and admission to men’s clubsand secret societies.

Shell, teeth, bone, wood, and natural fiber binding, allcrafted with great care, are the raw materials of most Oceanic jewelry.Brightness and shininess were greatly admired, and rarity, as with whale teethamong Polynesians or shell in the highlands of New Guinea, enabled particularobjects to connote wealth, prestige, and power.

Adornment among the highland people of Papua New Guineais among the most colorful and spectacular in Oceania,particularly during festivals, where it reflects the strength and pride of thevarious groups of the region.

Artisticexpression in the Highlands is conveyedlargely through body art. Diverse in both media and application, the majorcomponents of Highlands body ornamentation as we mentioned above include birdof paradise plumes, body paint, and an enormous variety of decorative objectsmade from shell, teeth, beetles, orchid stem, fur, bone, bark, wood, and fiber.Moriarty recognized the importance of this art and its central position in thebroader context of Highlands art. A visionaryin any age, he not only developed a unique collection of body decoration fromthe Highlands of New Guinea collected between 1850 and 1880, but saw to it thatthis collection remained intact by donating it to the AGNSW. Today it is partof what is possibly the world\'s most important accumulation of this art.