necklet (neck ornament (personal adornment))

Necklace of split and polished sperm whale (Physeter catodon) teeth strung on a coconut fibre cord.

Split whaletooth necklace (wasekaseka) with 29 teeth elements of graduated size. One or two tips are chipped. There’s a cord of plaited fibre, possibly hibiscus, which goes through all the teeth elements, and is then whipped with fine plaited coir cord behind each tooth. Whipping doesn’t show on the front of the teeth. Longest tooth is 14.5cm, and the butts of the teeth are slanted. The main cord is fragile and broken in several places, and it is currently supported by nylon line. Quite a nice example, though binding leads it to be somewhat damaged.

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
7.603
PLACE
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
overall: 390 mm x 410 mm x 60 mm; longest tooth: 145 mm
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE
sperm whale tooth; coconut fibre; nylon
CATEGORY
Anthropology: Ethnography
LOCATION
World Gallery > Oceania > Fiji
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Collection Information

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