Currency (Tabu)
ClassificationsCurrency and Exchange Objects
Culturepossibly
Tolai
Date20th Century
Collection SiteEast New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea
Made AtEast New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea
MediumShell, wood and fishing line
Dimensions3 × 12 in. (7.6 × 30.5 cm)
Credit LineAnonymous Gift
Object number2017.10.127
DescriptionThis shell ring currency, also referred to as tabu, was collected from the East New Britain Province of Papua New Guinea. A tabu is constructed from several rings of strung shells. In many Melanesian communities, shells were used 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.As a form of adornment, a shell will signify important qualities about the wearer's wealth, initiation level within a clan membership, and ideas of ritual practice. The use of shells as adornments also developed into a reflection of wearer’s individual notions of beauty and attractiveness. In war ornamentation, men use shells as an indicator of societal recognition for their achievements and to convey their view of strength as beauty. Ornamentation satisfies the individual’s personal desire for beautification while allowing for the expression of personality according to social norms.
On View
Not on view
late 20th Century
mid 20th Century
mid 20th Century
mid 20th Century
mid 20th Century
mid 20th Century
mid 20th Century
early to mid 20th Century
mid to late 20th Century
late 19th to early 20th Century
mid to late 20th Century