Necklace
ClassificationsClothing and Adornments-neck ornaments
Culture
Dani
Datemid to late 20th Century
Made AtPapua (Irian Jaya) Province, Indonesia
Collection SitePapua (Irian Jaya) Province, Indonesia
MediumPlant fiber and Job’s tears
DimensionsFlexible: 38 1/2 × 8 × 1 in. (97.8 × 20.3 × 2.5 cm)
Credit LineGift of Jean Brenner
Object number2017.4.35
DescriptionJob’s tears, the seeds of a grain-bearing grass indigenous to New Guinea, are often used throughout the island as a decorative bead strung with plant fiber string to make necklaces and adorn headdresses and other ornamental items. In addition to the Dani practice of finger mutilation for mourning widows, these women are also known to have worn these Job’s tears necklaces as a sign of their mourning.On View
Not on viewCollections
late 20th Century
