Item X 25838 Ornament. Adelaide River, North, Northern Territory, Australia. 1911

Summary

Glass bead chokers are believed to have been worn by Aboriginal men. These unique objects originate from the region to the east of Darwin through to western Arnhem Land, and most were collected in the first two decades of the twentieth century.

Physical Description

A neckband or headband made of glass beads strung on vegetable fibre string or European thread. The zig zag pattern created against the background of light blue beads is achieved by using pink and red beads, and runs along the top and bottom forming a diamond pattern. This is intersected with short lines of dark blue and pink beads at one end, and red and green at the other end. A small message stick incised with abstract designs is attached to one end.

Significance

This object was donated to the museum by Gerald Freer Hill, the photographer and botanist on the Barclay-Macpherson 1911 Expedition.