Collection of Auckland Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira, 3996

This curious piece of costume was worn by men over their pandanus loin cloths. The ovoid wooden shape was held with a string around the waist so that it rested horizontally at the rear above the buttocks. The loop of fibre strings ornamented with glass beads and shell discs hung down as a bundle in front over the man’s pubic mat. Some accounts claim that it was used as a seat when the wearer sat on damp ground, but its original purpose is probably obscured by a long history of development.

Espiritu Santo

Unknown

wood/plant material

glass/inorganic material

[shell]

[fibre]

length 290mm, width 115mm

290mm

115mm

Ornament, Waist

Body Adornment

Ornament

Personal Artefacts

decoration

decoration

24 Jan 2018