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The teima, or “moon,” breast ornament, especially in use among the Melanesian
inhabitants of Ndende, is laboriously ground from a segment of tradacna shell
and overlaid with an openwork plaque of turtle shell. The carving, which is
an abstract representation of bonito and frigate birds, is loosely attached
to the shell disk and worn as a suspension ornament by chiefly males, especially
in ceremonial dances. See Gerd Koch "Material Kulture der Sant Cruz Inseln",
Museum Fuer Voelkerkunde: Berlin, 1971 (p. 108 - 115). |
