Printed from Woolley & Wallis

Description

A Santa Cruz Islands feather currency tevau
Solomon Islands, Melanesia
honeyeater bird feathers (myzomela cardinalis) on a fibre strip, the back of the centre with a woven chequer design, coiled into two rings with coiled bark and palm leaf, and hung with strands of coix seeds and shells,
each coil 35cm diameter.

Provenance
Acquired by the present owner in 1983 whilst on Temotu Island, through Joseph Olu, one of the local elders / chiefs whose extended family had owned the tevau for generations.

Used in the exchange of goods such as canoes, fine pigs, turtles, crops, as well as certain forms of labour and during ceremonies, such as weddings. Their value dependant on size and richness of colour, that was maintained by not having on display but kept wrapped in large palm leaves and bark cloth and protected by powerful charms whilst stored on the rafters of the houses. Each tevau was made by three specialists, that involved plucking the feathers from over 300 honeyeater birds, then small platelets are made from the feathers of the grey pigeon and the red feathers attached. Then these were bound to fibre cords, overlapping to show the red feathers.