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Te mwae

human history
  • Other Name

    Neck ornament (English)

  • Description

    Te mwae. Neck ornament. This is a long te mwae made of wiin te kua kewe (porpoise teeth), wi n aomata (human teeth), dog teeth, te moromoro (glass beads), te nana (coconut shell discs) and te kora (coconut sennit fibre cordage). Small perforations have been drilled into the root ends of the teeth where te kora has been threaded through. The tooth ends hang like a series of pendants across the Neck ornament.

    A range of te moromoro that are green, red and white in transparency along with te nana have been used to thread in between each tooth pendant. Two strands of te kora hang loose from a knot along the centre of the Neck ornament showing where the neckband has been extended. One end of the Neck ornament shows loose threads in an off-white and green colour intertwine with the pendants and beads. The ends of the mwae have been left unfastened portraying its true length.

  • Place
    Ocean Island/Gilbert Islands/Kiribati
  • Accession Number
    1949.7
  • Accession Date
    1949
  • Other Id

    30781 (ethnology)

  • Department

    Pacific

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