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tabua

Sperm whale teeth (Physeter macrocephalus) are still one of the most valuable gifts today. These gifts, called tabua, are presented at marriage ceremonies, mourning ceremonies, apologies for offences, but also at state events as a sign of welcome or solidarity. In the past, whale teeth in Fiji were closely associated with divine power and the "chiefs" and were therefore regarded as the embodiment of the divine ancestors.

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Data Provider
Ethnologisches Museum
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Cataloguing data

Object type
Potted whale tooth as a gift
Dimensions
Gewicht: 0,38 kg
Höhe x Breite x Tiefe: liegend 4,5 x 20,6 x 21 cm
Material/Technique
Tooth (sperm whale), Plant fibre
Current location
Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Inventory number
VI 1141

Provenance and sources

when
before 1876
where
Polynesia [Großregion]
Fiji [Land]

who
Franz Hermann Strauch (1846-04-11 - 1928-08-12) - Collectors

Description
Access unknown, by Franz Hermann Strauch around 1876

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