Headband
20th century
Medium/Techniqueshells, fabric, paint?
DimensionsOverall: 19 x 55.5 cm (7 1/2 x 21 7/8 in.)
Credit LineGift of Geneviève McMillan in memory of Reba Stewart
Accession number2009.2644
On View
Not on viewClassificationsJewelry / Adornment
Collections
Jewelry and other bodily adornments serve a variety of purposes. Certain objects are symbolic of the wealth and prestige of the wearer, while others serve as protective devices that ward off spiritual and physical harm. Among many Oceanic communities, the importance of bodily adornment carried into the afterlife and the deceased would be buried with their personal jewelry. Headbands such as this one were commonly part of a much larger headdress worn during battle or during ceremonial activities for which a headdress was required.
ProvenanceGeneviève McMillan (b. 1922 - d. 2008), Cambridge, MA; 2008, to the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation, Cambridge; 2009, gift of the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 17, 2009)
Artist Unidentified, Pacific Islander
mid to late 20th century
