Te katau te tumara

human history

Te katau te tumara. Waist ornament of nautilus shells. This is worn by girls and young women as part of their dance costume. This is made up of two components; te tumara (nautilus shells) and te kora (sennit cordage). Large and thick te kora, plaited together using three-ply technique, is employed as the base of te katau. Off-white te tumara, numbered in forty-one, are perforated and lashed on by a thin two-ply te kora. Residue can be seen inside many of the shells.

Accession number: 1940.3 Last Update: 5 Dec 2018
Other Name

Waist ornament of nautilus shells (English)

Place
Nonouti/Gilbert Islands/Kiribati
Accession Number

1940.3

Accession Date

1940

Other Id

25214.7 (ethnology)

Department

Pacific

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Te katau te tumara, 1940.3, 25214.7, Photographed by Daan Hoffmann, digital, 12 Nov 2018, Cultural Permissions Apply
Te katau te tumara, 1940.3, 25214.7, Photographed by Daan Hoffmann, digital, 12 Nov 2018, Cultural Permissions Apply Cultural Permissions Apply
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