Big ornament and currency ring "yua" ·  Papua New Guinea, Abelam · ID: 3039289

Description

Tridacna shell, well-proportioned rounding on the inside, incised notches along rim, min. dam., small missing parts;
such rings were used as primitive money but men used to wear them during ritual dances as well. Sometimes they were even given to young girls who were about to marry. They fixed the rings to special bags used to be worn with a headband, and thus made them an important part of their festive costume. They were used for decoration of the big yam root as well.

The object Big ornament and currency ring “yua” with the object ID 3039289 was part of the auction 81st Tribal Art Auction on October 31, 2015. The object with the lot number 63 achieved a sales price of EUR 3,600 with an asking price of EUR 2,500.

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