Hip Cord (Tăgúl or Tăgĕlél)

ClassificationsClothing and Adornments-waist garments

Datemid 20th Century

Made AtPalau

MediumTurtle shell and fiber

Dimensions3/4 × 45 in. (1.9 × 114.3 cm)

Credit LineGift of Frieda O. Wray from the Estate of Dr. & Mrs. Douglas and Carolyn Osborne

Object number2019.17.9

DescriptionThis is hip cord, referred to as tăgúl or tăgĕlél in Palauan vernacular, worn by Palauan women. The traditional attire of Palauan women consists of a grass skirt, known as a gerévut, worn on the hip area and secured with a belt and a hip cord. The tăgúl is traditionally black in color and made with dugong skin, slices of coconut shell or turtle shell. Not unlike the ptek, the tăgúl is tied by the wearer around their flanks for the purpose of supporting the many pieces of the grass skirt. In Palau, traditional attire is reserved for feasts or dance rituals. This particular tăgúl was worn by the donor, or the donor’s sister, during a ceremonial dance on the opening day of the Palau Museum Men’s Meeting House in 1969.

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