Summary
This ornament was collected by Baldwin Spencer who was hosted on Bathurst and Melville Islands in 1911 by the legendary buffalo shooter, Joe Cooper. The two men had met the year before in Darwin, and their collaboration resulted in over a thousand objects being collected, mainly from Tiwi people on the islands, but also from mainlanders, in particular Iwadja people who worked directly for Cooper on his lugger and in his camp. Spencer is known to have purposely purchased a bolt of coloured cloth in Darwin to take with him on this trip to use as a commodity of exchange. No doubt he also traded for important artefacts with sticks of tobacco.
Local Name
Yilanjini
Physical Description
A multistrand ornament made of vegetable fibre string. Three knobs of Abrus seeds embedded in resin, probably beeswax, are attached at the ends.
More Information
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Object/Medium
Ornament, neck
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Maker
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Date Produced
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Collector
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Date Collected
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Object Measurements
410 mm (Length), 155 mm (Width), 55 mm (Height)
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Classification
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Date Made
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Clan/Language Group
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Place Made
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Indigenous Region
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Keywords
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Collection Names
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Type of item
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Collecting Areas
Australian Indigenous - Northern Australia and Queensland and Torres Strait Islands