Necklace
Production date
2018
Country
French Polynesia
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Object detail
Description
Mother of pearl necklace, with a small bonito lure positioned at the centre of the pendant. Strung on synthetic fibres. Small shark tooth attached to front of pendant.
Classification
INDIGENOUS CULTURES Polynesian neck ornament
Maker
Production date
2018
Production place
Measurements
L 71 x W 75 x D 20 mm (Pendant only)
L 320 mm (Full length)
L 320 mm (Full length)
History and use
Created by Tahitian artist Marc Bouteau, this necklace is representative of contemporary art and material culture in Tahiti. Bouteau featured a small bonito lure at the centre of the pearl shell pendant. Bonito lures were among the types of Tahitian material culture items avidly collected during the European age of exploration in Polynesia, examples of which were recovered from the HMS Pandora shipwreck.
Bonito lures are still used in French Polynesia to catch bonito fish. When suspended in water, the lures resemble small fish moving in the water, and attract the predatory bonito. The primary difference is that today’s lures feature metal hooks and synthetic fibres, whereas the lures from the 1700s used natural fibres and shell or bone hooks.
This collection of objects was curated as part of Jasmin Guenther’s PhD thesis (James Cook University) and exhibited in Making Connections: French Polynesia and the HMS Pandora Collection at the Museum of Tropical Queensland (2019).
Read more: https://blog.qm.qld.gov.au/2019/09/10/re-imagining-pandora/
Bonito lures are still used in French Polynesia to catch bonito fish. When suspended in water, the lures resemble small fish moving in the water, and attract the predatory bonito. The primary difference is that today’s lures feature metal hooks and synthetic fibres, whereas the lures from the 1700s used natural fibres and shell or bone hooks.
This collection of objects was curated as part of Jasmin Guenther’s PhD thesis (James Cook University) and exhibited in Making Connections: French Polynesia and the HMS Pandora Collection at the Museum of Tropical Queensland (2019).
Read more: https://blog.qm.qld.gov.au/2019/09/10/re-imagining-pandora/
Associated person
Registration number
E40916
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