y were known throughout the group as ti'a.
Pearl-shell Ornaments (Mangaia)
Figure 63.—Pearl-shell breast ornament (British Mus., 9945): a, front view with inner surface of pearl shell (1); hinge part cut off straight and drilled with four holes near edge; height, 125 mm.; greatest width, 144 mm.; width at upper edge, 84 mm.; continuous coils of human-hair braid (2) 2 mm. wide; coil flattened out and each end tied with a few turns of cord (3); length of coil 530 mm.; middle part compressed together for lashing to shell, thickness from below upward 26 mm. and from front to back 23 mm.; lashing of flat sennit (4); sennit very fine (2 mm. wide); for lashing technique see figure 64. b, back of ornament.
Another type of pearl-shell breast ornament (fig. 65, a) in the British Museum (no. S.871) is attributed to Tahiti. What appears to be the same ornament was figured by Edge-Partington (24, I-44-1), who attributed it to the Marquesas and then, in his "Additional Notes" in the same volume, changed the locality to Hervey Islands after reading Gill (32, p. 337). Gill, however, merely stated that the Mangaians wore pearl-shell ornaments attached to a coil of human hair and did not describe any technique that would aid in identifying the ornaments as belonging to any particular group page 119of islands. As pearl-shell ornaments attached to human hair coils were made in Tahiti and the Marquesas, there is no proof from Gill's statement that this ornament belongs to the Hervey Islands. The shell is cut farther away from the hinge than in the preceding ornament (no. 9945), hence is much wider across the top edge. The greater width provided space for 13 suspension holes below the edge.
Figure 64.—Lashing technique on pearl-shell ornament: a, hair coil (12) placed against hinge edge of shell; lashing material consists of fine flat sennit 2 mm. wide; lashing commences on left, the sennit being probably fixed around coil with a running noose, but commencement concealed by subsequent turns. Technique consisted of courses of spiral turns which pass through shell holes and around coil. First course (1) commencing on left passes upward toward right in front on the coil, downward toward right on back to enter next hole, and finishes with a turn around coil on right, free of shell, b, second course (2) commencing on right, passes upward toward left in front of coil, crosses first course (1) near top, descends on back to enter holes, and finishes with a turn around coil on left, free of shell. Note that free end of sennit at bottom edge of coil is to left of first course (1). c, commencing on left, third course (3) repeats turns of first course (1) but keeps on left of them. On right, sennit takes another turn around free coil and fourth course (4) repeats turns of second course (2) and keeps on their left, d, four more courses are made, odd numbers (5, 7) working toward right and even numbers (6, 8) working toward left, each course keeping to left of previous course which it follows. At this stage, pattern made by crossings on coil consists of four chevrons, e, ninth course (9) commences on left by crossing turns on back and appearing at lower border of coil on right of previous turns; it then follows turns of first course (1) from left to right but keeps on right, thus crossing turns of courses that worked from right to left. After turning on right edge of shell, tenth course (10) follows second course (2), turns from right to left, but keeps on right side of turns. Change in position of ninth and tenth courses forms right hand boundaries of. a lozenge motif internally enhanced by chevrons. f, from its position on left, sennit makes eleventh (11) course by following turns of ninth course (9) from left to right and keeping on its right. Sennit takes turn around coil on right where it is fixed to complete lashing. g, lozenge motif enlarged, with courses numbered.
The shell is lashed to a suspensory coil of human hair braid and fine coir cord (2 mm. thick) with fine sennit dyed black. The lashing braid passes through the 13 holes near the upper edg