-
1 of 253523 objects
Shell money (tafuliae) c.1998
Shell, cotton | 290.0 x 12.0 cm (whole object) | RCIN 94549
Shell money (tafuliae) c.1998
-
A string of shell money or tafuliae, comprising ten strings of white, brown and black shells joined together and grouped into five sections, with red cotton ribbons at both ends.
Shell money has long been used in the Pacific. On the Solomon Islands, broken shells are smoothed to uniform discs and collected in strings of ten to form tafuliae like this one, which were traditionally used for dowries, compensation and to buy land.Provenance
Presented to Queen Elizabeth II by Sir Henry F. Quan, K.B.E., on the occasion of his investiture as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, London, 18 May 1998. -
Medium and techniques
Shell, cotton
Measurements
290.0 x 12.0 cm (whole object)
