Pipi shell necklace from tongareva
date: label: Accession Date
content: 17 Feb 2017
label: Collection Date
content: 2010
name: label: Collector
content: Jean T. Chapman-Mason
label: Donor Name
content: Jean T. Chapman-Mason
notes: label: Notes
content: Three shells with a mix of dyed and natural rito fiber woven through holes drilled into the edges. Described by donor as "necklace of... polished pipi shells (Pinctada maculata) from Mangarongaro (common name of Tongareva /Penrhyn) with 38 money cowrie shells sewn on to them and all attached to three plaited strands of coloured rito fibers." "This type of necklace is not commonly worn by Maori people except on cultural occasions; the reason for this could be it's too large and impractical with modern clothes, shyness (not wanting to stand out), or the reminder of a pre-Christian past that some present day Christianised Cook Islanders find abhorrent. Rei were worn by nobles & warriors only. Large necklaces like these are today more frequently worn by foreigners living in the Cook Islands." Rei / tia pipi no mangarongaro = common everyday Maori name of Tongareva/Penrhyn.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 26 Aug 2016
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Rarotonga, Cook Islands, Polynesia
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Cook Islands Maori
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 2069807
label: USNM Number
content: E433815-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Necklace
physicalDescription: label: Length
content: 29 cm
label: Width
content: 21 cm
label: Height
content: 3 cm