kalivonotabua

Headrest inlaid with whale ivory. The bar of the head rest is cut from a cylindrical piece of noko noko wood (Casuarina equisetifolia). The four feet are formed by two arched pieces of wood terminating in small rectangular feet, two of which have been lost. Each of these arches is fixed to the bar through two piercings underneath, which are tied together using coconut fibre cordage to create a hidden fixing. The upper side for the bar is inlaid with four pieces of ivory, two DD’s on either end and two crescent moons near the centre. One of each of these inlaid pieces has since been lost.

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk