Combs in the Pacific Islands

Combs in the Pacific Islands

Throughout the Pacific Islands, combs have long been worn in the hair as an item of adornment. They could beautify and adorn the hair as part of everyday wear, or be worn to signal a wearer’s social status on a special occasion. Combs could be treasured family items or made to be given as gifts or sold as souvenirs.

Hair and hair fashions

Some island groups developed very distinctive styles of combs. Their size, shape and materials they were made from, reflected culturally diverse attitudes to hair and hair fashions that have and continue to change over time. In the 19^th and 20^th centuries, combs were made from a range of materials including coconut leaflet midrib and wood, coconut shell, sea shell, turtle shell and plastics. They were often decorated with coloured beadwork or woven plant fibres, shell inlay, carved motifs and painted images. Some feature the names of people or places. Others were undecorated, with their aesthetic appeal found in their design, elegance and crafting of their form. Due to their size and portability, combs were popular collectibles for tourists and some found their way into private collections and museums.

Global popular culture

In the 21^st century, combs are still an important element in dressing the body, and convey many more messages related to the identities of people and places and the influence of global popular culture. Indigenous forms of combs have largely been replaced by imported plastic combs. Of the indigenous materials used coconut shell is the most accessible product used in comb manufacture. All manner of family names, national greetings, pictorial scenes and patterns are cut from the highly polished shells. Even global brand names like Nike have been appropriated into their design. Today, comb makers recycle pieces of plastic piping to make combs, or customize mass produced plastic combs for their local communities and markets.