Necklace of black seeds on string, with 16 large monkey teeth arranged between the seeds at even intervals of the lower half.

Gift of Adelaide Goan

Golden, bronze and chocolate-brown cassowary feathers are attached at the base to a cone of bees wax adorned with coix seeds. The base of the feathers emerge from the point of the cone and are tied together with sago leaf fibres and bast string which are attached to a 7cm-long thin, pointed piece of wood.

Woven belt consists of yellow-brown and dark-brown plant fibres woven to form horizontal zigzagging lines. On top are two plaited, crossing cords which form four diamond patterns. This is bordered and interspersed by rows of threaded coix seeds. On the left-hand side is a tassel of ruddy-brown sago-leaf. The right side ends in a tightly braided loop, while the left connects to long woven braids of sago leaf. There are two loose ties where this long braid is woven into the patterned section.

The main body of the belt is 11 cm high with twelve columns consisting of six horizontal painted stripes alternating between dark brown terracotta ochre and yellow-brown and white pigment(faded). This is surrounded by a border of ruddy-brown plaits with a broad loop on the left end and a tightly wound loop on the right that holds several braided ties, which may have been previously wound together, as one is thicker and made up of several braids and the others are single strands and somewhat frayed. Above the columns, two cords of ruddy-brown grass and two of dark brown and yellow-brown stripes, criss-cross to form five diamond shapes with incomplete ends. On top of these are paired lines of light grey seeds, one section is missing. Three narrow braided tassels with loose ends are attached to the bottom of the belt.

Loin cloth made of strung seeds. Unbleached cotton fibres make a grid for the oblong grey and brown tururri seeds to be tightly strung onto, in vertical rows. Woven fibre borders hold the grid together, and a short, thick fringe of the same material hangs from the bottom. Long twisted ties dangle from the corners of the cloth, and small red and brown feathers are attached to the short sides by red and white beaded strands.

Rattle made of strands of plant material curved to form a handle, and then widening to form the bodies of two joined rattles. The same material is wrapped around the handle, and around itself at the base of the handle in order to hold the twin rattles firmly together. Intertwined between the strands on the rattles are strips of leaf (coconut?) in an open weave. Large round pieces of gourd form the base of each rattle. Inside are small white seeds that make a sharp noise when the object is shaken.

Seed headband. The headband consists of three parallel, joined bands of seeds strung on synthetic fibre. Both ends of the headband consist of woven plant fibres, which are knotted together.

Woven seed headband. The headband consists of two rows of seeds strung between lines of grass fibres. At either end the headband decreases in depth to a single string of seeds with long woven endpieces to serve as fasteners.

Woven headband decorated with grey-blue seeds woven parallel to each other between two thin strips of woven fibre. The ends are knotted together.