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Warrior's Neck Ornament

19th–early 20th century
Not on view
In addition to the weapons they carried, warriors in the Admiralty Islands formerly wore neck ornaments that served as powerful war charms believed to render the wearer invulnerable to enemies. Most portray stylized human heads (or rarely, full figures) with flaring bases made from trimmed frigate bird feathers. The ornaments were worn on the back of the neck, secured by a necklace of cordage tied so tightly that the head faced upward and the feathers projected horizontally. Used throughout the archipelago, they appear to have been produced only by certain groups, such as the Matankol people of northern Manus Island, and traded to neighboring peoples. Warfare on the islands ceased in the early 1900s, but contemporary Admiralty Islanders continue to wear the ornaments as dance regalia.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Warrior's Neck Ornament
  • Date: 19th–early 20th century
  • Geography: Papua New Guinea, Admiralty Islands
  • Culture: Admiralty Islands
  • Medium: Wood, paint, frigate bird feathers, fiber, parinarium-nut paste
  • Dimensions: H. 19 3/4 × W. 6 3/4 × Diam. 6 in. (50.2 × 17.1 × 15.2 cm)
  • Classification: Feathers-Ornaments
  • Credit Line: Gift of Gustave and Franyo Schindler, 1980
  • Object Number: 1980.546
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

More Artwork

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Warrior's Neck Ornament, Wood, frigate bird feathers, glass beads, cloth, fiber, parinarium nut resin, Matankol
Warrior's Neck Ornament
Matankol
late 19th–early 20th century
Pendant or Head Ornament (Kapkap), Tridacna shell, turtle shell, fiber, glass bead, Matankol (?)
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Matankol (?)
late 19th–early 20th century
Ritual Board (Wenena gerua), Wood, paint, feathers, fiber, Siane people
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House Post, Wood, fiber, shell, paint, feathers, plastic, metal, Lower Ramu River region
House Post
Lower Ramu River region
early to mid-20th century
Mask, Wood, paint, plant fiber, feather, shell, Biwat people
Mask
Biwat people
late 19th–early 20th century

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