Meciwe (necklace)

This meciwe (necklace of jade beads) was made by the Kanak people of New Caledonia. Like New Zealand, New Caledonia has a form of jade, which was valued by the Kanak people both for its beauty and hardness. Just as the Māori used pounamu, so the Kanaks used their jade for utilitarian and ceremonial axe blades and personal adornments.

Significance

In the early 19th century, jade necklaces were amongst the most highly valued of Kanak possessions and were the exclusive property of the wives of chiefs. Women received coils of flying fox fur cord and strings of jade beads when they married. Visitors to New Caledonia during this period found that women would not part with their necklaces for any price.

Materials

Meciwe are made from jade beads which are threaded onto a sennit fibre cord. The beads are pierced with a drill and then polished by suspension in running water or rubbing with water and a pumice stone. This cord is made with flying fox fur coloured red which is twisted into strings made from sennit. Only fur from the back, the stomach and the top of the head of the flying fox is used.

Acquisition

This is one of nine examples of meciwe in Te Papa’s collections. It is part of the Oldman Collection. In 1948, the New Zealand Government purchased it for an undisclosed sum from the London dealer and collector W O Oldman.