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Titolo dell'opera:
Necklace with pendant
Acquisizione:
Enrico Alberto D'Albertis 1932
Author/ School/ Dating:
Necklace with pendant
Epoca:
XIX - 1851 - 1900
Inventario:
C.D.A.1038
Misure:
Tipo di misura: lunghezza; Unità di misura: cm; Valore: 20; Tipo di misura: lunghezza; Unità di misura: cm; Valore: 10
Provenienza (nazione):
Hawaii
Technique and Dimensions:
Sperm whale’s teeth (Physeter macrocepahalus), hair
Utilizzo:
Riconoscimento dello status sociale. Tradizionalmente veniva indossata da uomini e donne di rango superiore, anche se nel XIX secolo fu utilizzata anche da individui di status inferiore. Fu usata anche come oggetto di scambio con visitatori americani ed europei. Cerimonie/vita quotidiana (?)
Back to Focus:
Descrizione:
Necklace consisting of a central ivory pendant in the shape of a hook (stylisation of a godhead with chin, mouth and tongue, centres of vitality and spiritual strength) supported by two skeins of thin braids of human hair. At the other end of the two skeins are sewn two dark brown cotton webbing for closure. Worn exclusively by higher ranking chiefs of both sexes as the second most important symbol of power after the feather cloak. The materials from which it is made indicate its sacred character: in the Eastern Pacific, the head was considered the most sacred part of the human body because spiritual strength was believed to be concentrated mainly in it and in the hair. When a sperm whale died, its hair was cut off and used to make objects such as this ornament. The sperm whale was not hunted but when a carcass was stranded on the reefs it became the property of the chief of higher rank; once found the teeth were removed and used. In this type of ornament the tooth was moulded in the shape of a tongue, perhaps indicating that the wearer spoke with authority.
