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Cassowary Quill Earrings, mid to late 20th Century
Dani culture; Central Highlands, New Guinea…
Earring
Cassowary Quill Earrings, mid to late 20th Century
Dani culture; Central Highlands, New Guinea…
Cassowary Quill Earrings, mid to late 20th Century Dani culture; Central Highlands, New Guinea, Papua (Irian Jaya) Province, Indonesia, Melanesia Cassowary quill; 2 1/2 × 3 7/8 × 1/4 in. 2017.4.31.1-.3 Gift of Jean Brenner

Earring

ClassificationsClothing and Adornments-ear ornaments-earrings
Culture Dani
Datemid to late 20th Century
Made AtPapua (Irian Jaya) Province, Indonesia
Collection SitePapua (Irian Jaya) Province, Indonesia
MediumCassowary Quill
Dimensions2 3/8 × 4 × 1/4 in. (6 × 10.2 × 0.6 cm)
Credit LineGift of Jean Brenner
Object number2017.4.31.3
DescriptionThe Dani are known to use cassowary quills in certain ornamental items such as headdresses. Not much is known about their usage of cassowary quills as earrings. If these earrings were used similarly to other area groups, then they were generally reserved for festivals or celebrations, but were sometimes worn on a day to day basis. Based on Asmat usage, it is likely that at most two of these earrings were once connected like links in a chain.

Per Jean Brunner, when she first came across these items in 1996 they were being worn by a Kombai woman at a wedding. This is a small group of tree dwelling people living just southeast of the Dani. Tobias Schneebaum mentions a similar group, the Korowai as casual wearers of cassowary quill earrings. There are more examples still of the nearby Asmat’s ear ornaments made from cassowary quills.

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Cassowary Quill Earrings, mid to late 20th Century
Dani culture; Central Highlands, New Guinea…
Dani
mid to late 20th Century
Cassowary Quill Earrings, mid to late 20th Century
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