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• Auction House:
  Mossgreen
• Sale Name:
  Australian Indigenous & Oceanic Art
• Sale Date:
  21 Jul 2015 ~ 6.30pm
• Lot #:
  208
• Lot Description:
  A Necklace (wasekaseka)
  Fiji, Melanesia (mid nineteenth century)
  split sperm whale teeth and coconut husk rattan
  34 cm long
• Provenance:
  Reverend Flockhart, Fiji (collected pre-1890); By descent; Metcalf Estate, Melbourne; Young's Auctions, Melbourne (1991); Private Collection, Melbourne (acquired from the above)
• References:
  Truus Daalder, Ethnic Jewellery and Adornment, Adelaide, 2009, pp.134-135, 161, fig. 258; Frederick D. McCarthy, "The Whale's Tooth Tambua of Fiji", The Australian Museum Magazine, Sydney, 1953, pp.95-99; Roger Neich & Fuli Pereira, Pacific Jewellery and Adornment, Honolulu, 2004, pp.146-147; Phelps, S.J., Art and Artifacts of the Pacific, Africa and the Americas: The James Hooper Collection, London, 1976, no. 822
• Notes:
  Until the introduction of commercial whaling by Europeans in the early-mid 19th century, whale teeth were extremely scarce and therefore became the prerogative of chiefs and men of other high ranking status. Known as 'wasekaseka', these split whale teeth necklaces are among Fiji's best known types of jewellery that were typically made by Tongan and Samoan craftsmen who lived there. They were sewn onto sennit cords made of plant or coconut fibre and were worn closely around the neck. This particular 'wasekaseka' is a dramatic and striking example of its type. Originally consisting of 28 long sperm whale teeth (the greater number of teeth, the more valuable the piece), they elegantly protrude upwards with the longest teeth positioned in the centre. Whale teeth were bestowed on high-status individuals as gifts, for political support or as a gesture of solidarity and were valued as symbols of wealth and power. The teeth were also sometimes used as a means of exchange for logs and canoes, particularly between the Tongans and Fijians.1 1 Powerhouse Museum
• Estimate:
  A$12,000 - 18,000
• Realised Price:
  *****
  

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• Category:
  Tribal

This Sale has been held and this item is no longer available. Details are provided for information purposes only.