Pearl-shell ornament "riji" or "jakoli"
Description
shell (mostly “gold lip” - Pinctada maxima), red ochre, human hair,
Pearl-shell ornaments were manufactured (and generally engraved) in the Kimberley region on the northeast coast, from shells obtained in the Torres Strait, which separates Australia and New Guinea.
They were exchanged along a vast system of trade routes that extended as far as Australia’s southern coast over a thousand miles away. Depending on the region, the pearl oyster ornaments have different local names.
The pearl-shell ornaments were used for personal adornment and served a wide variety of purposes. They could indicate the social status of their wearer, played a role in initiation rites and could also be used for sorcery purposes.
Spencer and Gillen (1899) described the use of undecorated “longka-longka” pearl shell in love magic rituals by the Aranda and other central Australian Aboriginal groups.
The Nyikina of the Fitzroy River basin suspend pearl shell by hair belts or cords from a frame. It is believed that the shells, flashing lightning as they rotate in the breeze, attract rain-bearing clouds.
Pearl shell was associated with water, the essence of life, especially in Australia’s arid interior. Its silvery luster embodied the shimmering qualities of water, rain, and lightning