item details
NamePu Taiana (ear ornament)
ProductionUnknown; 1800s; Marquesas Islands
Classificationear ornaments
Materialswhale bone (bone), shell (animal material)
Techniquescarving
DimensionsOverall: 35mm (height), 50mm (length)
Registration NumberOL000218/1
Credit lineOldman Collection. Gift of the New Zealand Government, 1992
Overview
This pu taiana (ear ornament) is from the Marquesas Islands in the eastern Pacific. It is worn through a hole pierced in the earlobe with the decorated end projecting behind the ear. Pu taiana occur in several forms, which are distinguishable by particular carved elements. However, their basic construction consists of a cylinder of conus shell with a carved spur of whale bone or boar's tusk projecting from it. Researchers believe that pu taiana were worn predominantly by women and occasionally by men.
Acquisition
No details are known about the maker or history of this item. In 1948, it was acquired by the Dominion Museum (Te Papa's predecessor) as part of the Oldman collection of Māori and Polynesian artefacts.