Ivory Ear Ornaments (Hakakai)

Unknown

early 19th century · Whale ivory · Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

In the Marquesas Islands, ivory ear ornaments (hakakai) made from whale teeth were worn by both men and women. Larger hakakai such as the pair seen here were worn by men. The ornaments consist of a large disk worn in front of the ear and a curved spur that, inserted through a large hole in the earlobe, projected behind the ear. The spurs were frequently adorned, as here, with small tiki (human images). It is probable that larger hakakai, such as the ones seen here, developed in the early 1800’s when western vessels brought great quantities of whale teeth to the islands as trade items.

Artist

Unknown

Date

early 19th century

Medium

Whale ivory

Culture

Marquesan (Enata) people

Department

Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

Credit line

The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979