Head Ornament
ClassificationsClothing and Adornments-head garments
Datemid 20th Century
Collection SiteWestern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea
Made AtWestern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea
MediumBailer shell, cowrie shells, and textile
Dimensions5 × 11 × 2 in. (12.7 × 27.9 × 5.1 cm)
Credit LineAnonymous Gift
Object number2017.10.134
DescriptionA shell headdress collected from the Western Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. This headdress features one large white bailer shell and rows of small cowrie shells sewn to a fabric strap.In many Melanesian communities, shells were used as a form of currency and simultaneously as supplies for high-priced commodities. 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 a shell-made object increased depending on the inclusion of a well-traveled shell. A shell will signify important qualities about the wearer's wealth, initiation level within a clan membership, and ideas of ritual practice. As a bride price exchange, the use of particular shell may indicate the husband's family’s financial and social influence within the community.
On View
Not on view
mid 20th Century
late 20th Century
mid 20th Century
mid 20th Century
mid to late 20th Century
late 19th to early 20th Century
mid to late 20th Century
mid-20th Century
mid 20th Century
mid 20th Century