Giant Clam Shell Bracelet, 'Bakiha'

made from the upper, whiter sections of fossilized Tridacna squamosal shells

Provenance:

Collected from a village on Gizo Island in the Western District of the Solomon Islands, c. 1975

Labels:

Also known as 'poata keoro' or 'bakiha keoro', these shell rings circulated throughout the western Solomon Islands as a general-purpose currency. They were used in barter for material goods and for the purchase of magic and other ritual knowledge.

• EStimate $500 - $700
• sold $540 Incl BP