Comb

ClassificationsClothing and Adornments-hair ornaments-combs

Culture Yao

Made AtChina

MediumBone, fabric, wool, and beads

Dimensions11 1/2 × 3 1/2 × 3 1/8 in. (29.2 × 8.9 × 7.9 cm)

Credit LineGift of Anne and Long Shung Shih

Object number2015.8.11

DescriptionCombs such as this are one of the items most frequently associated with the Yao. There is some scholarship to suggest that metal combs were made later than combs made of bone, but this cannot be verified at this time. The Yao people are actually a group of approximately thirty different cultures. Together this group numbers over two million people, the majority of which reside in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China. Each group has different traditional dress and adornments, thus making it difficult to know exactly which specific culture made or used this comb. Combs were typically worn in conjunction with other headgear such as the Yao hat and headdress that are also part of this collection.

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