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Basic Information | Accession Number: | 1953A785 |
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Collection: | Ethnography - Oceania |
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Date: | 1875 - 1925 |
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Notes | This pearl-shell ornament would have been worn round a man's waist hung from a human hair belt.Before European contact in the eighteenth century most Australian Aborigines wore very little in daily life, except in the colder south. These shells would have worn as part of their complex ceremonial activities. The designs are engraved and filled with red ochre. Many styles represent mythological themes, totem animal tracks or human figures. | Transferred from the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum. |
Further Information | Production Period: | 19th century or 20th century |
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Material(s): | Mother of pearl |
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Place of Origin: | North-west coast, Australia |
Dimensions | Height: | 182 mm |
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Width: | 128 mm |
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