Oceania / Polynesia, Tahiti, Society Islands, ca. 19th century CE. Rare crown, consisting of hundreds of carefully stitched white and pale orange-tipped white tulip-shaped seashells placed to create a series of broad, diagonal stripes of color. Stitched onto a background of tightly woven coconut fiber. A long necklace composed of white, black, and pale orange shell beads strung on coconut fiber is also included. These ornaments were made to be worn by rulers in the pre-Contact Society Islands. Polynesian societies had hereditary leaders known as "ali'i" who ruled a society similar to European feudal ones. Personal ornament was crucial to distinguish roles in this society, and a crown like this one indicated the highest rank. The missionaries who Christianized Polynesia disapproved of these practices, and most of these ornaments were lost during that time period, making this a very rare find. Size of crown: 8.5" diameter x 2" H (21.6 cm x 5.1 cm); 8" H (20.3 cm) on included custom stand. Size (bead strand): 72" L (182.9 cm); (each bead): 0.2" W (0.5 cm)

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-Leo Fortress collection, Hawaii, USA, before 2000

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#148288

A few of the shells are lost. Nice deposits on many of the shells. Slight fraying to woven components on both the necklace and crown.