Chest Ornament (Fofona)
ClassificationsClothing and Adornments-chest ornaments
Date20th Century
Made AtEastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea
MediumPlant fiber, shell and pigment
Dimensions24 1/4 × 14 1/4 × 1 3/4 in. (61.6 × 36.2 × 4.4 cm)
Credit LineAnonymous Gift
Object number2003.43.105
DescriptionThis pectoral ornament comes form the Eastern Highlands area of Papua New Guinea and it dates to the 20th century. Body ornamentation for the men and women of New Guinea is the key expression of their material status, their beauty, their rank in their community, their skills as a hunter, the number of pigs they may own, and for the men the success of their hunting abilities based upon what they wear on their body. In our culture it is the car you drive that signifies status; in New Guinea, it is what you wear and how you display your ornaments of materialism.On View
On view
early to mid 20th Century
early to mid 20th Century
early to mid 20th Century
early to mid 20th Century
early to mid 20th Century
early to mid 20th Century
December 1966
early to mid 20th Century
19th to 20th Century