Men's necklace with giant Turbinella Pyrum shell · India, Naga · ID: 3035720
not available anymore
Provenance
René David, Zurich, SwitzerlandChristina Fessler, Zurich, Switzerland, collected in situ, (Kohima, Nagaland)
Size
L: 80 cm
L: 31.5 inch
Description
cornelian beads, glass beads, bone, fibre, brass bell, when the necklace is worn, the big shell rests on the back just below the neck, while the strings were worn on the breast, good condition, slight traces of abrasion;
the Turbinella Pyrum shell is deemed to be sacred and is used for ritual adornment of holy statues and of the kings head at the moment of his incoronation. Blown before a battle it propitiated the outcome and purified the air. Due to their value and their rarity these necklaces were only worn on fesive occasions and harvest festivities, when the best dresses and ornaments are displayed to obtain the favour of the spirits of the crop.
Comparing literature
Somaré Grata & Leonard Vigorelli, The Nagas, Bergamo 1992, p. 100 f.