nose-ornament
- Museum number
- Oc.9816
- Description
-
Nose ornament formed of a curved piece of white shell; pointed at each end; towards the tips are small bands of brown fibre binding.
- Production date
- 19thC (before 1876)
- Curator's comments
- NEKGINI language.
Nose ornament. Gnorung - Clamshell nose ornament used in Blak sing sing (T.P). The nose septum is pierced in the men's house. The nose ornament is only for men and is used in Blak sing sing (Keta). There is a special drum for it (in James Leach collection). There is also an intitation association with Blak sing sing (Keta) in which the hair was bound into something like fine dreadlocks - it would tie the hair so tight, it would be painful. It would have beads and shells, dog teeth etc bound into it. Bindings would lengthen hair right down to the base of the spine. This process lasted two months.
Every night they would practice singing and dancing with black face paint and these nose ornaments along with special earrings would distend the hole in the earlobe. This is what the nose ornament was for.
One person is still alive in Asang village has been through this initiation. He was probably initiated about forty years ago. They weren't taught the songs or dances for this, so they dont practice it.
People on the beach had this kind of decoration, so it could have easily come from Astrolabe Bay as attributed.
Porer Nombo and Pinabin Sisau, Reite Village, Madang, Papua New Guinea, Melanesia Project 5 August 2009. Tape 52
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1876
- Department
- Africa, Oceania and the Americas
- Registration number
- Oc.9816
- Additional IDs
-
CDMS number: Oc1876C1.9816 (old CDMS no.)
-
Miscellaneous number: Oc1876C0515.46
