Necklace Currency (Bagi)
ClassificationsClothing and Adornments-neck ornaments
Culture
Massim
Dateearly to mid 20th Century
Collection SiteMilne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea
Made AtMilne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea
MediumShell and twine
Dimensions20 × 2 1/4 × 1 1/2 in. (50.8 × 5.7 × 3.8 cm)
Credit LineAnonymous Gift
Object number2017.10.63
DescriptionThis exchange necklace, also known as a bagi, was collected on Rossel Island in Milne Bay Province and dates back from the early to mid-20th Century. The ornaments on this necklace include large white shells and small multi-colored discs shells. Bagi necklaces are highly valued and used as ritual trade items in the Kula exchange cycle of the Milne Bay Province. This cycle follows a prescribed, clockwise, circular route that involves most of the islands of the Massim Group. Kula has many rules. Example: arm shells only travel in a counterclockwise direction and the necklaces (like the bagi) only travel in a clockwise direction. When the participants travel to their partner's island they receive their gifts but their partners only receive their gifts when they visit them in return. Much magic and ritual was observed in the preparation of the trip. Kula was an important source of trade and supplied many islands with most of their food needs. In many Melanesian communities, shells were utilized as a form of currency and simultaneously as supplies for high-priced ornamentation. As a form of currency, shells were used in trades along the coast and nearby islands. The further distance a shell traveled, the higher their value would increase. Therefore, the price and social value of an adornment increased depending on the inclusion of a well-traveled shell.On View
Not on view
20th Century
late 20th Century
late 20th Century
mid 20th Century
mid 20th Century
mid 20th Century