Subject: toa warrior
Culture: Samoan
Setting: civil wars, Samoa 19thc
Object: ula nifo necklace
* Peabody Mueum of Anthropology and Ethnology > Pacific Islands Hall
"Necklace ... beads, whale teeth Samoa This type of necklace was popular and highly valued among the chiefs and high ranking man [SIC] throughout Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga. Generally they were made by Tongan or Samoan artists to trade with the Fijians. Large teeth from the lower jaw of the sperm whale were split into parts, then ground, and polished to their present shape. After that the teeth were drilled, matched and strung on a fiber cord. Until well into the 20th century, these necklaces were valued as heirlooms, and worn on special occasions." ...
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