Australia, Kimberley, Western Australia
1940s
Pearl shell, ochre, human hair string
Height: 7½ inches (19.1 cm); Width: 5½ inches (14 cm)
Provenance: Collected in the early 1970s by an Aboriginal education officer at Yuendumu
The engraved motifs on this shell, which is a sparse arrangement of angular forms, cross, and arrow-like elements in the lower field, differ from the dense maze patterns typical of Kimberley longka longka, and their placement and character suggest they may represent an early or preparatory stage of engraving rather than a completed conventional design. Ochre has been applied to the incised lines, indicating the work was intentional rather than incidental, and the shell's large, well-formed oval with intact nacre surface would have made it a desirable base for a finished piece. The suspension point is pierced and retains a substantial length of original human hair string cordage.
This shell's collecting context links it to the same Yuendumu group documented in connection with other longka longka in this collection, gathered in the early 1970s by an Aboriginal education officer from shells stored ceremonially in a 44-gallon drum. The spare, open composition on this example stands apart from more densely engraved shells in the group, and its condition with original hair string largely intact, gives it particular documentary value as an object that may illuminate the process of longka longka production.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Australia, Kimberley, Western Australia
1940s
Pearl shell, ochre, human hair string
Height: 7½ inches (19.1 cm); Width: 5½ inches (14 cm)
Provenance: Collected in the early 1970s by an Aboriginal education officer at Yuendumu
The engraved motifs on this shell, which is a sparse arrangement of angular forms, cross, and arrow-like elements in the lower field, differ from the dense maze patterns typical of Kimberley longka longka, and their placement and character suggest they may represent an early or preparatory stage of engraving rather than a completed conventional design. Ochre has been applied to the incised lines, indicating the work was intentional rather than incidental, and the shell's large, well-formed oval with intact nacre surface would have made it a desirable base for a finished piece. The suspension point is pierced and retains a substantial length of original human hair string cordage.
This shell's collecting context links it to the same Yuendumu group documented in connection with other longka longka in this collection, gathered in the early 1970s by an Aboriginal education officer from shells stored ceremonially in a 44-gallon drum. The spare, open composition on this example stands apart from more densely engraved shells in the group, and its condition with original hair string largely intact, gives it particular documentary value as an object that may illuminate the process of longka longka production.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
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