Skip to main content Smithsonian Institution

Catalog Data

Donor Name:
U. S. Department of the Navy  Search this
Culture:
Aguaruna (Awajún) (?)  Search this
Jivaro (Shuar) (?)  Search this
Object Type:
Skirt
Place:
Peru, South America
Accession Date:
20 Jul 1892
Notes:
From Card: "Skirt or petticoat of the Jivaro Indians, made of feathers on a foundation of bark cloth, worn by the high chiefs of the tribe only on occasions of festivities. The barkcloth forming the foundation of the garment is made from the inner bark of a large tree called by the Indians 'llanchama'. The bark is soaked in water for 2 or 3 days and then pounded on flat, smooth stones. Unlike the tapa of the Pacific Islanders, no paste is used in the manufacture of the llanchama cloth. It resembles felt, and consists of but one layer. // In sewing the pieces of the skirt together the fibre of 'pita' (Agave sp.) is used. // The feathers ornamenting the garment are furnished by the 'Cock-of-the-rock' (Rupicola peruirana), a bird with soft orange-red plumage; and a species of toucan with white breast margined with red, yellow upper tail coverts and deep-red lower tail coverts. The rest of the bird's plumage is black. Thus it will be seen that each tuft of yellow or of red feathers represents one entire bird, just as each of the small tufts of yellow feathers forming the royal robes of the Hawaiian kings represents the life of a sacred 'Oo'."
Record Last Modified:
2 Dec 2014
Specimen Count:
1
Topic:
Ethnology  Search this
Accession Number:
025958
USNM Number:
E164684A-0
See more items in:
Anthropology
Data Source:
NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/367f7d091-a372-4556-9641-465ffa463ed0
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmnhanthropology_8345224