Ceremonial pick

This sacred stone, hafted as a pick, is a rare example of beautifully made, biconical stone objects that were collected in New Caledonia in the latter half of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These stone objects were originally owned by Kanak families who regarded them as magical, and in one case as a fertility stone.

Materials and decoration techniques
This implement is very well made and finely finished. The stone is not jade, but is petrographically compatible with stone of a New Caledonian origin. The lashing is firmly and finely executed and appears to be authentic, but lacks the adornment found on the 'haches ostensoirs' or ceremonial jade battle axes, which were among the most-highly prized items of Kanak customary wealth.

Significance
A great amount of work must have gone into the manufacture of the stone blade. The finished, hafted object may therefore have fulfilled a ceremonial as well as a utilitarian function. This example from the Oldman collection is apparently the only hafted one known, although there is a similar object in Labillardière's Atlas of D'Entrecasteaux's Voyage, 1791-1794, which lacks the lashing details.