Mendi Shell Currency Necklace beaker ranging from spheroid and semi-spheroid

ranging from spheroid and semi-spheroid to barrel-shaped

and fusaiola in classical archaeology—were essential tools in fiber production

The use of excrement and other taboo substances in their making reinforces their fearsome authority — boliw embody both purification and poison

or ancestral shrine

An exceptional and well-preserved example of early 17th-century Zhangzhou porcelain

Mendi Shell Currency Necklace beaker ranging from spheroid and semi-spheroidMendi people, early 20th century, Mendi Valley, Southern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea Charming old necklace composed of three cut and finely polished Conus shell halves, their surfaces beautifully softened by long use and handling over generations. Shells were among the most valued forms of traditional wealth in Papua New Guineaespecially in the Highlands, where they had to be traded across great distances from the coast through rugged