Tabua" chief's pendant. These pierced and mounted sperm whale teeth were not used as body ornaments, but as prestige objects, tokens in negotiations or compensatory payments.
Sperm whale tooth, woven coconut fibre, old honey shiny patina, with an old incised inscription on one side
Fiji Islands, 18th century-19th century
7 x 15 cm
Provenance: Michael Hamson, Parcours des Mondes, Paris, September 2013
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