Top bracelet

Description:

In the area around Lae at the Huon Gulf there is a flourishing business in making rings from the Trochidae shell. The rings that come from here are recognizable by a carved decoration on the outside.Ó By means of a stone, the top of the shell is beaten off. The question is whether, as in New Ireland, the shell is first heated in a wood fire, or whether this is not done here. Then the bottom of the shell is beaten off. After this the base and top of the shell is ground on a grindstone under a continuous supply of water. For the grinding of the inside one uses a wooden stick, slightly carved from the top, put into the ground, on which the shell ring is placed, and with the help of a coral branch (nowadays also iron files) the inside is polished. The latter is used to hone the natural bulge of the shell.‖ In Lae on the Huon Gulf, the rings are given vertical notches for decoration on the outside.‖ Using a stone, the top of the shell is chipped off. It is questionable whether, as in New Ireland, the shell is first heated in a wood fire, or whether this is not done here. Then the bottom of the shell is beaten off. After this the base and top of the shell is ground on a grindstone under a continuous supply of water. For the grinding of the inside one uses a wooden stick, slightly carved from the top, put into the ground, on which the shell ring is placed, and with the help of a coral branch (nowadays also iron files) the inside is polished. The latter is used to polish the natural bulge of the shell.In Lae on the Huon Gulf, the rings are given vertical notches for decoration on the outside.

Location:

Papua New Guinea

Format:

image

Collections:

National Museum of World Cultures Foundation

Content partner:

National Museum of World Cultures Foundation

Availability:

Not specified