accessories HATS hair pins SHOES pins ORNAMENTS jewellery read more in russian
MIAO jewels BUHARA ethiopian crosses SUMBA MAMULI tuareg amulets MASAI neckpieces KACHIN pins PERU earrings MALI nepal read more in russian
AFRICAN TRADING BEADS read more in russian
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Fulani beads are also known as Bohemian beads, they were hand made in Bohemia, for trade in Africa. The Czech Bohemian Glass industry commenced to compete with the Venetians in the 1700's and soon developed their own highly individual style. becoming one of the top trade bead producers.
Often presented to a bride on her wedding day and therefore greatly treasured, they are worn on special ocassions throughout West Africa and especially in Mali. They are vibrantly multicoloured and are found in a variety of shapes. |
Nias Headhunter Torque.
Sumatra Warrior "Kalabubu" necklace, 'headhunter trophy' ornament. Made from coconut shell with brass clasp.
This splendid circular trophy necklace, called "kalabubu" is from south Nias of Sumatra. It has a bold form that made of brass wire onto which are strung highly polished discs of coconut shell in such a way as to form a smooth black ring with tapering ends fastened by a brass clasp with a decorative flat brass buckle.
Such necklaces were worn by aristocratic men in southern Nias. They formed part of a Nias man's heirloom possessions and were high prestige items. They were a declaration that the wearer had taken a human head from an outsider group and had brought it back to the village thereby bringing creative and protective forces to the community. Headhunting was associated with nobility, masculinity, and power.
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Mamuli Earring-Pendant From Sumba Island, Indonesia. This hollow omega-shaped jewelry piece, known as a Mamuli, is a unique form of embellishment from the Island of Sumba in Eastern Indonesia. Each of the 7 tribes from this region has its own distinct Mamuli Jewelry design. Mamuli are part of a family's heirlooms, believed to gain ancestral powers as they are passed along from generation to generation. They were historically worn only on ceremonial occasions, thought to have too much supernatural potency to be shown daily. Although the basic omega shape of the Mamuli represents the stylized female genitalia, they were a form of tribal men's earrings, especially when having flared embellished ends such as this one. Because of their large size, they might be attached to turbans for support. Today they are worn by both men and women, often as necklaces, but with the same reverence for their ancestral meaning. This is an especially beautiful one of silver-copper alloy, approximately 50-70 years old. It is fully intact with a mild patina; the design is the same on both sides. |
MAMULI containers SUMBA island INDONESIA
NAGA AMULETS read more in russian
BALI silver charms DREAM BALLS
