The museum of Quai Branly

Adornment

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Forehead ornament

In the culture of the Nage people on Flores Island, this type of ornament forms part of the family treasures, inherited from father to son. Men of high rank, chiefs or warriors, wore them, attached to the forehead with a scarf, for important occasions: the construction of a ceremonial pole or the sacrifice of a buffalo. The base of the ornament recalls the form of the horns of this highly valued animal in the culture of the Nage people.

Lado, Indonesia, Lesser Sunda Islands, Flores Island, Nage people, 20th century, made of gold, 50 x 26.5 cm, donation by Monique and Jean Paul Barbier-Mueller, 70.2001.27.709 © musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo by Patrick Gries, Valérie Torre

Ceremonial necklace

Great warriors wore these necklaces during celebrations of the agricultural calendar to signify their power of fertility. The shells and beads from distant locations raised the prestige of this jewel.

India, Nagaland, beginning of the 20th century, made of shells, bone and glass beads, 70.2001.8.10 © musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo by Patrick Gries and Bruno Descoings

Headdress

This headdress in the form of a fez, of purple velvet and lined with red velvet, was donated to the musée de l’Homme by the former President of the Republic of France, Raymond Poincaré.

Ethiopia, beginning of the 20th century, made of velvet and copper, 19 x 19.5 x 19.5 cm, 71.1919.4.6 © musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo by Patrick Gries

Great Chancay headdress

Feather arts developed over a period of two thousand years throughout the whole of pre-Columbian America, from North to South. In Peru, feathers had a symbolic and religious function. Their use was related to the role of birds in the Andean pantheon. They were considered to be powerful symbols, creatures of the human species and capable of living between the earthly world and the world beyond.

Peru, 1100-1450, made of feathers on basketry and cloth, 71.1963.114.1 © musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo by Patrick Gries

War charm

This ornament made of a sheath of feathers of frigate bird feathers, presents a human head, probably of an ancestor who was brave in combat. These charms, made by men, were attached to the nape of the neck of warriors when they set off to confront the enemy. They were supposed to protect them and make them invulnerable. They could also be worn during dances conducted during important ceremonies. More recently, they are worn during cultural festivals.

Papua-New Guinea, Admiralty Islands, 20th century, made of wood, feathers, leaves, beads, pigments and resin, 52.5 x 12.5 x 20.5 cm 71.1961.103.161 Photo © musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo by Thierry Ollivier, Michel Urtado

Earrings

For families of the Miao people, silver jewelry is a precious heritage that young girls wear for important occasions. Silver is a pure material, to which is attributed the power of protecting the body from disease. The spiral, which is found on Miao jewelry and clothing, helps to ward off bad spirits.

Earrings made of silver, from China, Guizhou, the Miao people, end of the 20th century., 70.2001.37.10.1-2 Earrings made of silver, from China, Guizhou, the Miao people, end of the 20th century., 70.2001.37.10.1-2 © musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo by Patrick

Bride’s tunic

Tunic worn for the ritual of the monstrance, known as jalwa. On this day, the fiancée, who glitters in gold and silver, removes her face- veil before her extended family.

Tunisia, Raf-Raf, first half of the 20th century, made of silk, gold thread and silver, 131 x 105 x 1 cm, 71.1933.77.93 © musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo by Patrick Gries

Pa'ekaha headdress

This headdress is composed of a band of woven fibers on which were sewn disks of mother-of-pearl. The visor is made of alternating curved plaques of giant clam shell (tridacna) and tortoise shell carved with a rodent’s tooth. The plaques, that were supposed to rest on the forehead, were engraved with tikis, divinized ancestors for the Marquesans and protective figures of the head, seat of the supernatural power of certain individuals known as mana. This very refined piece is among the most prestigious headdresses.

Marquesas Islands, Nuku Hiva Island, Happas tribe, middle of the 19th century, made of tortoise shell, giant clam shell and woven coconut fibers, 19.5 x 24.7 cm, 72.84.230 © musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo by Patrick Gries

Diadem

type of diadem forms part of the women’s ornaments worn in the central Anti-Atlas Mountains, as well as by the Aït Ouaouzguit of Djebel Siroua, a mountainous region located between Ouarzazate and the great plain of Souss.

Morocco, end of the 19th century, made of silver, glass, enamel, and niello inlays, 17.5 x 26.5 x 1 cm, 74.1960.2.66 © musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo by Thierry Ollivier, Michel Urtado

Tapa cloth

Emblematic material of the South Pacific, the tapa cloth is made by beating the inner bark of the Paper Mulberry tree with a quadrangular grooved wooden paddle. It is decorated by applying fern leaves previously soaked in brown dye. These vegetal motifs are characteristic of the tapa cloth from 19th century Tahiti. This cloth, used as clothing, accompanied major life events: from wrapping newborn babies to prepared the dead for burial. It is considered to be a vector towards the world of the divine. It also served as exchange goods. The inscription “RETO” in the center of the cloth is the Tahitian name given to Pierre-Adolphe Lesson, a French traveler who journeyed several times to French Polynesia and visited the Tahitian royal family, the Pomare.

Island of Tahiti, 19th century, beaten bark cloth made from the inner bark of the Paper Mulberry tree (Broussonetia papyrifera), 183 x 243 cm, donated by P.A. Lesson, 71.1894.24.1 Earrings made of silver, from China, Guizhou, the Miao people, end of the 2

back pendant

Gold-plated silver pendant, encrusted with carnelians, a type of quartz of a more or less red or brown color. This type of jewelry was worn hanging down the back by Turkmen women.

Afghanistan, 18th – 19th centuries, made of gold-plated silver and carnelians, 71.1972.12.195 © musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo by Patrick Gries, Valérie Torre

Headdress mask

The rich colors of the birds of Guyana, in particular those of the aras, has always inspired the Wayana people who knew how to create magnificent iridescent ornamentation. Beetle wing-covers are added to intensify the brilliance of the feathers. Objects made of feathers in South America were thought to create harmony between man and nature, between the sky and the earth.

Wayana people, French Guyana, 20th century, made of feathers, basketry, beetle wing-covers and cotton70.2006.30.70 - Photograph © musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo by Thierry Ollivier and Michel Urtado

Female costume

Indigo is a vegetal dye, the scent of which repels insects. Its deep blue contrasts with the whiteness of the motifs, finely drawn in wax (batik) with an instrument known as a djanting.

Cotton dyed with indigo, batik design, China, Guizhou, Miao people, end of the 20th century, inv. 70.2007.35.1.1.2 © musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo by Thierry Ollivier and Michel Urtado

Wedding costume

In the mountain societies of northern Vietnam, the wedding costume is often the work of the bride herself. In the wealthiest families, it may even be decorated with silver items.

Wedding costume, embroidered cotton, dyed with indigo and decorated with silver items, Muong Khuong, northern Vietnam, Yi people, around 1930, inv. 71.1931.42.57.1.8 © musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo by Thierry Ollivier and Michel Urtado

Man's robe

Wearing a ceremonial robe (khalat) during a ceremony is a mark of honor. During the era of the Emirs of Bukhara, khalat were awarded to the most valiant soldiers. The practice of placing a robe on the shoulders of important guests continues to this day.

Embroidered silk and velvet, Uzbekistan, formerly in the collection of Armand Marie Jacques d'Aumale, 71.1989.24.29.3

Mahiole feathered helmet

This helmet is composed of a woven frame, covered by a net made of fibers to which are attached feathers of the red and yellow passerine birds. It was worn by prestigious chiefs and warriors, accompanied by a feather cape, the whole serving as a symbolic protection during important ceremonies. The presence of feathers makes it possible to link the chiefs to the gods, the bodies of which, in Hawaiian mythology, were covered with feathers. This helmet also served as an exchange good of great value, especially with European travelers as early as the 18th century.

Hawaiian Islands, 19th century, made of basketry and feathers, 71 x 20 x 59 cm, formerly in the collections of Le Goaran de Tromelin, musée de marine du Louvre, 71.1909.19.1OcD © musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo by Patrick Gries and Bruno Descoings

Tunique de mariée

Tunique portée au moment de la monstrance, appelé jalwa. Ce jour-là, la fiancée, qui scintille d'or et d'argent, retire son voile de visage devant les parents.

Tunisie, Raf-Raf, première moitié du 20ème sièclesoie, fils d'or et d'argent, 131 x 105 x 1 cm, 71.1933.77.93 © musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, photo Patrick Gries

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