The Jewellery Trail

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Wooden gorget (rei miro)

This is a wooden gorget from the Marquesas Islands. The Marquesas Islands can be found in the Pacific Ocean. Gorgets were also called ‘rei miro’ which means ‘necklace of wood’.

A gorget is a breast ornament worn around the neck. Gorgets are usually flat, crescent-shaped and made of wood. However, there are a great variety of designs which can be found.

The shape and decoration of this gorget is very important and symbolic. The crescent shape may refer to the moon, an association found throughout Polynesia. This gorget was originally covered in red seeds but these fell off many years ago. Throughout Polynesia red was a sacred colour associated with the gods and people of high social status.

A gorget could be worn by both men and women. It served as a symbol of high rank and authority. It was worn at feasts, ceremonies and other special occasions.

Images of gorgets appear in rock art on islands all over Polynesia.

Hawaiian neck ornament (lei niho palaoa)

This unusual neck ornament comes from the island of Hawaii. The Hawaiian name for this type of ornament is ‘lei niho palaoa’ which means ‘necklace of the tooth of the whale’.

The necklace is made from a hook-shaped sperm whale tooth pendant which is suspended on a necklace made of many cords of plaited human hair. It is tied at the top with vegetable fibre known as ‘olona’.

When the ‘olona’ (vegetable fibre cords) were drawn up and tied, the hair ruffed out around the neck and the whale tooth pendant stuck out like a tongue. This tongue represented great mana and truth. It could also represent an insult to your enemies as it looked like the gesture of sticking your tongue out!

In Hawaii, there were 4 levels of society. At the top, there was the ‘ali’i’ which were the rulers and nobles. This necklace could only be worn by men and women of the ‘ali’i’ during special ceremonies and on state occasions.

Turtle Shell nose-piece

This unusual looking object is a nose piece made from turtle shell. It was made by the people of Ontong Java which is part of the Solomon Islands.

The Solomon Islanders are well known for using shell to make a number of personal ornaments. These include; chest, forehead and neck ornaments (known as ‘kapkap’), pendants, armlets, necklaces, belts and nose rings. This nose piece is made from turtle shell. Today, sea turtles are a protected species as all 7 species are endangered or threatened. In many parts of the world it is now illegal to trade and export turtle shell products, although the illegal trade of sea turtle products still continues in some countries.

Body piercing has been a widespread practice throughout the world since ancient times. This turtle shell nose piece has been carved in the shape of a human figure. Turtle shell nose pieces like this are a symbol of initiation on Ontong Java, when boys have the septum of their nose pierced. One is worn in each nostril. At death these ornaments are buried with the owners.

Wreath of brown shells (lei)

This wreath of brown shells comes from Tahiti, a small island in the Central Pacific Ocean. Wreaths like this were known in the Pacific as ‘leis’ and could be worn around the neck or on the head. This lei was made to be worn as a head ornament.

Leis can be made from all sorts of things such as flowers, leaves, shells, seeds, nuts, feathers and even the teeth and bones of animals. This lei is made from very small brown shells. Shell leis in particular require a great deal of skill and patience to make.

Leis are part of an ancient tradition celebrated all over the Pacific. They were worn by the ancient peoples of the Pacific to make themselves look beautiful and to distinguish themselves from others.

Leis can also be given as a sign of friendship as they traditionally express love, respect, congratulations and welcome. The Hawaiian word ‘Aloha’ is a word that has deep feelings and emotions. It can mean love, compassion, greeting, loved one and goodbye. Giving a lei as a gift expresses the meanings behind the word ‘Aloha’.

Necklace of whale teeth (Wasekaseka)

This necklace comes from the small island of Fiji in the Pacific Ocean. It is made from 19 sperm whale teeth suspended from a fine vegetable fibre cord.

Whale teeth necklaces like this one are also called ‘Wasekaseka’. They were seen as a symbol of wealth and political power. They were worn by high ranking Fijian men. These necklaces were so special that they were often buried with a person when they died as one of their most valued possessions.

Wasekaseka were also exchanged between high ranking officials at important meetings or before assemblies of war. The whale’s tooth was seen as a sacred bond between 2 people or groups. It is used as a symbol of peace and the presentation of a whale’s tooth can help calm down quarrels and disputes. To receive a ‘tabua’ (whale’s tooth) is a high honour in Fijian society, but the recipient has to continue the gift-giving tradition by presenting it to someone.

Necklaces made from whale teeth were very rare in Fijian society until the early 1800s. Before this time, whale teeth were only obtained very occasionally when whales became beached on the shore.