Old whalebone Marquesas Island Tiki Ear plug

Can any one tell me if this is as described in the title? It's a fabulous looking thing but just not sure if it comes from the Marquesas or not as a friend told me it didn't look like a Marquesas tiki - many thanks in anticipation!

Aloha Actonpark! Do you have a close up of the face? Here are some other ear ornaments from the Marquesas Islands. The eyes, nose, mouth and hands are usually like these:

I like the patina on yours, looks old :lol: Freddie

Double post

[ Edited by: HOUSE OF KU 2008-03-12 04:09 ]

Aloha - just took some close up pictures - it was described as being estimated around 100 years old. Let me know what you think? I appreciate it so much!

[ Edited by: actonpark 2008-03-12 21:57 ]

Well it must be Marquesan, if a hundred years old, it probably was already carved for trading with Europeans, that's why it might be not quite as well carved as the museum pieces above.

But in any case, it is an incredible find, a real Marquesan bone carving, congrats.

Wow, great find.
I didn't know what these were until I read this post... Leave it to TC to always open a door.
Anyway, I did a little search and found this exhibition Adorning the World: Art of the Marquesas Islands with some beautiful artifacts.
Aloha,
:tiki:

This is not an ear plug, but a different kind of Polynesian plug altogether.

On 2008-03-25 18:03, jeffreyvallance wrote:
This is not an ear plug, but a different kind of Polynesian plug altogether.

No wonder the Marquesas tikis all have bulging eyes!

I was going to write i have a hole big enough to fit that but now that butt-plug has entered this thread, people might get the wrong idea.

To clarify i'm talking about holes in my ears not anywhere else, i wonder if the small figures are there to stop the plug from falling out?