What kind of jewelry is this?

Where do you think it was made?

Who would have worn it?

Answers:

What kind of jewelry is this?

This is a head-band made from the shells of tree snails, with a stripe in the middle from a pandanus tree, connected together with a string.

Where do you think it was made?

This head-band was made in Tahiti, and was made a gift to the Karshner Museum in 1930. The Karshners obtained the artifact while on a voyage to the Pacfic Islands.

Who would have worn it?

Shell jewelry has been traditionally worn by many cultures across the Pacific Islands. This head-band was purchased as a tourist item in the 1930s, but the traditional design on which it is based is a style that might have been worn by many Tahitians.

For more information, visit:

• This artifact in the Karshner Digital Collections
• Artifact Worksheets you can use in your classroom or for homeschool
• History of the Pacific Islands
• List of Islands in the Pacific Ocean
• Pacific Islanders in America

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