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1927.62.7

Neck ornament; stringwork loop strung with animals' teeth, possibly macaque.

1927.62.7

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Collection type
Object
Description
Neck ornament; stringwork loop strung with animals' teeth, possibly macaque.
Geographical reference
Brazil
Latin America and the Caribbean > South America > Brazil
River Içá
Person
Field collector A.J. Chivers
PRM source A.J. Chivers
Date / Period
Date made: Before 1906
Date collected
1906
Acquisition information
Donated: 1927
Materials and processes
Material Monkey Tooth Animal, Material String, Material Plant Fibre, Process Perforated, Process Plaited, Process Braided
Dimensions
Length: max 280 mm doubled
Object numbers
Accession number: 1927.62.7
Research and responses

Célia (Glicéria) Tupinambá is an artist, activist, teacher and researcher from the Serra do Padeiro village, located in the Tupinambá Indigenous Land of Olivença, in the south of the state of Bahia, Brazil. Célia and her niece Jéssica viewed this object during a research visit in June 2023 and provided the following information (a copy of which can be found in RDF under 1886.1.908):

For the Tupinambá, teeth necklaces are very powerful and should not be worn all the time. In situations of danger/high power, the necklace can take the force of the energy to avoid harm to the wearer, which explains why sometimes the teeth used in the necklace might crack or break. Teeth are a powerful material to use in objects because the force of a bite is a strong energy. The teeth can come from a variety of animals, today the teeth most commonly used to create necklaces in Célia and Jéssica’s community are cow teeth, however monkey teeth may also be used. Monkey teeth can be very powerful however, so can’t be worn by everyone.

Where the Putumayo River enters Brazil it is known as the Içá. See “Putumayo River" Encyclopædia Britannica Online. http://search.eb.com/bol/topic?eu=63572&sctn=1 [Accessed 24 February 2000] [JP 24/2/2000]

See also 1927.62.6 [JP 24/2/2000]

Search terms: Ornament, Neck Ornament

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