Photo Bank: Pre-Contact Oceanic Carvings & Artifacts - Tiki Carving

T teaKEY Tiki Socialite The thumb ! Joined: Nov 09, 2004 Posts: 3687	T teaKEY Posted posted on Wed, May 30, 2007 10:25 AM I found that a good place to look is Ebay. Sometimes when people are listing books they show tons of photos that you wouldn't see any other way. Just one example Ok, here is a Ebay item that was on a week or so ago I have been looking at all things Solomon Island lately. My favorite new area. RARE 19TH C. SOLOMON ISLANDS BARAVA SHRINE CHARM CONTAINS A WEALTH OF OVER 40 ANCIENT BARAVA ORNAMENTS Originating from the New Georgia region of the Western Solomon Islands, offered is a remarkable charm that would have been attached to a shrine that contained the skulls of important chiefs. It is said that the spirit of the chief would enter the charm. I have included a historic photo (Festetics de Tolna, 1903) that shows several similar but less elaborate charms attached to a shrine enclosure. The charm, sometimes referred to as "funerary money", measures 15 inches in length. Attached to the central stick via sennit and rattan fibers, are forty or more ancient barava ornaments that date to the 18th and 19th centuries. The individual baravas were signs of chiefly wealth and were amassed by chiefs during their lifetimes. This charm was originally purchased from a New Zealand private collection and was reported to have been collected in the early 20th century. It is rare to find such a charm complete with all of its individual barava ornaments intact. When I found the Item it was just US $55.00 but by the end of the bid it climbed to US $1,456.87. [ Edited by: teaKEY 2007-05-30 18:28 ]

I found that a good place to look is Ebay. Sometimes when people are listing books they show tons of photos that you wouldn't see any other way.

Just one example

Ok, here is a Ebay item that was on a week or so ago

I have been looking at all things Solomon Island lately. My favorite new area.

RARE 19TH C. SOLOMON ISLANDS BARAVA SHRINE CHARM

CONTAINS A WEALTH OF OVER 40 ANCIENT BARAVA ORNAMENTS

Originating from the New Georgia region of the Western Solomon Islands, offered is a remarkable charm that would have been attached to a shrine that contained the skulls of important chiefs. It is said that the spirit of the chief would enter the charm. I have included a historic photo (Festetics de Tolna, 1903) that shows several similar but less elaborate charms attached to a shrine enclosure.

The charm, sometimes referred to as "funerary money", measures 15 inches in length. Attached to the central stick via sennit and rattan fibers, are forty or more ancient barava ornaments that date to the 18th and 19th centuries. The individual baravas were signs of chiefly wealth and were amassed by chiefs during their lifetimes. This charm was originally purchased from a New Zealand private collection and was reported to have been collected in the early 20th century. It is rare to find such a charm complete with all of its individual barava ornaments intact.

When I found the Item it was just US $55.00 but by the end of the bid it climbed to US $1,456.87.

[ Edited by: teaKEY 2007-05-30 18:28 ]

Post #309779 by teaKEY on Wed, May 30, 2007 10:25 AM