Coronet
| Culture | Enata (Marquesan) |
|---|---|
| Title | Coronet (Pa'e Kaha) |
| Date | 19th century |
| Medium | Turtle shell, conch shell, and and fiber |
| Dimensions | Object: 3 1/8 × 8 1/2 × 8 in. (7.9 × 21.6 × 20.3 cm) Overall (includes mount): 7 × 8 1/2 × 8 in. (17.8 × 21.6 × 20.3 cm) |
| Credit Line | Raymond and Laura Wielgus Collection, Evan F. Lilly Memorial, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 69.123 |
| This artwork is currently on view. | |
Coronet with a woven, fibrous band at the top, and a flaring band of shell tiles below it. The shell tiles are alternating black and white in color, and the black tiles have designs with eye and face motifs in low relief.
Like the other major Marquesan headdress type, the uhikana, the coronet or pa'e kaha is a study in tonal and tactile contrasts. Apparently not as widely worn as the uhikana, the pa'e kaha was associated with high-ranking men and women. It was not owned by an individual, but instead was worn by various family members on different occasions and was passed down through generations as an heirloom. Reports conflict as to how the coronet was worn. Some maintain that it was worn with the band at the top and the shell plaques covering the forehead, which results in the relief figures on the turtle shell plaques appearing upside down. Others have suggested, however, that the coronet was originally worn with the plaques above the band. Either way, the pa'e kaha drew attention to the head, considered by Polynesians to be the most sacred part of the body.
Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.
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"Coronet | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=69.123