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Feather money
OS 0712   Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands

Feather money

Feather money was made by pasting the bright red feathers of honeyeaters on a bark strip. This coil-shaped currency was as long as five to nine meters. Three hundred to three hundred and fifty birds were needed to make one length of red feather money. On the Santa Cruz Islands, men had to present as many as ten such pieces to the bride’s family.

The “Chechemeni” ocean-going canoe | Canoe splashboard | Navigation chart | Feather money | Bark cloth (tapa) |
Stone pestle and mortar for making poi | Māori storehouse (pātaka) | Ceremonial chair

Migrations and adaptation of Austronesian-speaking peoples