A rare New Guinea beetle and orchid fibre headband and two pins

HIGHLANDS, PROBABLY FROM THE WAHGI VALLEY

Details

A rare New Guinea beetle and orchid fibre headband and two pins
Highlands, probably from the Wahgi Valley
The cases of forty-one scarab beetles of Coleopter sp. strung as a band on short cane lengths bound by fibre between plaited yellow orchid fibre borders; and two cane lengths strung with detached thorax from the same specie beetle
50cm. and 31cm. long respectively (3)

Literature

Biebuyck, D. and Van den Abbeele, N., The Power of Headdresses, Brussels, 1984, Pl.174

Lot Essay

Biebuyck (1984, p.218) observes that an Asaro warrior places the headband with a band of nassa shells directly on the hair or above a fur hat; that in the Wahgi Valley the headband is enhanced with a wheel of bird of paradise feathers, and in Mount Hagen such headbands may be combined with wigs of human hair during pig-killing ceremonies.

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