For important occasions, Marquesans wore a variety of headdresses (pa'e).Among the most striking are the pa'e kaha, which consist of a band ofwoven coconut husk fiber adorned with alternating plaques of carved turtleshell and white shell. Worn primarily by chiefs, warriors, and male dancers,pa'e kaha were owned by families rather than individuals.The turtle-shell plaques were artificially shaped by heating and then bendingthem into the desired form. They are typically adorned with tiki (humanimages) and geometric designs in low relief. Early Western illustrationstypically show pa'e kaha worn, as here, with the plaques curving downwardbut it is possible that they were worn with the panels upright, like a crown.
