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Small ornamental comb with 23 tines and elaborate binding of yellow, red and black orchid stem fibre binding.

Comb ornament of separate sticks bound and patterned with red and yellow vine-strip. Combs of this general type are characteristic of Malaita. Strips of tree-fern wood are bound with vine-strip, including yellow orchid stem and coconut-frond cuticle stained red with Indian Mulberry (Morinda). See Burt, Akin and Kaw’ioloa, 2009, 45 and 64-69, which describes the manufacture for the smaller combs in Kwaio as researched by David Akin.

Collection Information

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