CR15 Rare! Rare! Rare! Mwali Armband Buen Village Trobriand Islands New Guinea Early 1900’s
$995.00
Item # CR15
Description A rare Mwali Armband from Buen village in the Trobriand Islands given as a gift to an Australian expat in 1946. The Mwali were used as a form of ceremonial exchange system to build relationships between communities and islands in what is known as the ‘Kula Ring in which villagers would travel hundreds of miles between various islands. The ‘Kula Ring’ went clockwise and counterclockwise. This Mwali Armband (which were generally not worn) was traded in the southern direction (White Shell Armband) circling counterclockwise. In the northerly direction (clockwise) a Shell Disc Necklace with red beads is used. See Malinowski, Bronislaw (1922). Argonauts of the Western Pacific. Photo is of a Kula Ring canoe with shellwork and splashboard.
Size 28cm * 8cm
Price USD$995
