Ornament

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Culture Abelam

Title Ornament (Kara Ut)

Date Unknown

Medium Shells, bone, fiber, and and pigment

Dimensions Object: 13 × 4 1/8 in. (33 × 10.5 cm)
Overall: 13 × 4 1/8 in. (33 × 10.5 cm)

Credit Line Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 72.43.2

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About this Work

After they had been initiated, Abelam men historically wore the ornament known as kara ut, as a symbol of adulthood and warrior status and as a protective amulet. More recently, these ornaments have been worn by male dancers and during celebrations such as the yam festival. A kara ut is usually worn hung from a string on the back or chest, but, particularly during warfare or disputes, it might also be held by a man between his teeth so that the boar tusks appear to be the teeth of the man himself.

Provenance
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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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"Ornament | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=72.43.2