Adorning the Body

Breast ornaments made of a single valve of pearl shell or a shaped piece of whale bone date to the eighteenth century. Composite breastplates of whale ivory and pearl shell were developed in the early nineteenth century by canoe-building specialists from Tonga and Samoa, who lived in eastern Fiji and worked for Fijian chiefs. The shaping, fitting, and binding techniques resemble those used in canoe building, and their construction was facilitated by supplies of sperm whale teeth and metal tools from European traders. Examples of breastplates of pieced sperm whale teeth appeared in the early nineteenth century with the increase of European traders and growth within the whaling industry. Little is known of the artists and workshops that produced these composite prestige items, but they were valued for their subtle design variations and alluring color properties, which were suited for chiefly wear.

Whale ivory was the basis for many other forms of “valuables,” retained or gifted at ceremonial exchanges between chiefdoms or clans. Sperm whale teeth were sawed vertically and horizontally to create striking necklaces with slender upward curving elements. Other forms of personal ornament shown here include highly valued shells, ivory, boar tusks, and feathers. Individual figures made of sperm-whale-tooth ivory typically have suspension holes on the back or top of their heads, and were likely intended as neck pendants.

In the nineteenth century, Fijian men and women were renowned for the time and care they gave to their coiffure, as noted in drawings and photographs of the period. Male mourners shaved their heads after the death of a close relative and sometimes wore wigs as their hair slowly regrew. A rare mask of wickerwork and human hair shown in this gallery was collected in 1840 and was perhaps used for a dance or comedic performance.