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Lei niho palaoa

human history
  • Other Name

    lei niho palaoa (Hawaiian)

    Whale tooth and hair necklace (English)

  • Description

    Lei niho palaoa. Whale tooth and hair necklace. This is a neck adornment. It features a hook-shaped pendant made from palaoa (sperm-whale tooth). The pendant is suspended from a series of intricately braided human hair. An off-white cord has been used to coil the hair braids and fix the necklace when worn. When worn, the free end of the hook would face forward. These particular adornments were worn by Ali'i (High chiefs).

    They are of cosmological and visual significance as they portrayed the wearers divine right and genealogical connections to Hawaiian deity and their ancestors. The braided hair linked the wearer to their ancestors and the ivory tongue shaped hook visually materialized cosmological connections.

  • Place
    Hawaii/United States of America
  • Accession Date
    1894
  • Other Id

    11356 (ethnology)

    2006.x.358 (temporary number)

  • Department

    Pacific

ornament, neck, 11356, 2006.x.358, Photographed by Denise… … Read more

Images and documents

Images

  • ornament, neck, 11356, 2006.x.358, Photographed by Denise Baynham, digital, 26 Mar 2018, Cultural Permissions Apply
  • ornament, neck, 11356, 2006.x.358, Photographed by Denise Baynham, digital, 26 Mar 2018, Cultural Permissions Apply
  • ornament, neck, 11356, 2006.x.358, Photographed by Denise Baynham, digital, 26 Mar 2018, Cultural Permissions Apply
  • ornament, neck, 11356, 2006.x.358, Photographed by Denise Baynham, digital, 26 Mar 2018, Cultural Permissions Apply
  • ornament, neck, 11356, 2006.x.358, Photographed by Denise Baynham, digital, 26 Mar 2018, Cultural Permissions Apply
  • ornament, neck, 11356, 2006.x.358, Photographed by Denise Baynham, digital, 26 Mar 2018, Cultural Permissions Apply
  • ornament, neck, 11356, 2006.x.358, Photographed by Denise Baynham, digital, 26 Mar 2018, Cultural Permissions Apply
  • ornament, neck, 11356, 2006.x.358, Photographed by Denise Baynham, digital, 26 Mar 2018, Cultural Permissions Apply
  • ornament, neck, 11356, 2006.x.358, Photographed by Denise Baynham, digital, 26 Mar 2018, Cultural Permissions Apply
  • ornament, neck, 11356, 2006.x.358, Photographed by Denise Baynham, digital, 26 Mar 2018, Cultural Permissions Apply
  • ornament, neck, 11356, 2006.x.358, Photographed by Denise Baynham, digital, 26 Mar 2018, Cultural Permissions Apply
  • ornament, neck, 11356, 2006.x.358, Photographed by Denise Baynham, digital, 26 Mar 2018, Cultural Permissions Apply

Artefact

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