War Charm

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Culture Matankor

Title War Charm

Date 19th century

Medium Wood, frigatebird feathers, glass beads, cuscus teeth, cloth, and and fiber

Dimensions Object: 20 1/2 × 5 5/8 × 8 1/4 in. (52.1 × 14.3 × 21 cm)
Overall (includes mount): 23 1/8 × 5 5/8 × 8 1/4 in. (58.7 × 14.3 × 21 cm)

Credit Line Raymond and Laura Wielgus Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 76.40

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About this Work

Throughout the Admiralty Islands, part of a warrior's preparation for battle included donning a war charm to increase his courage and protect him in battle. The charm was tied with a short cord to the nape of the neck so that the carved head looked out behind the warrior and the feathers curved away from his back. On this war charm, the presence of glass beads is a clear indication of outside influence, for they were not made by indigenous peoples anywhere in Polynesia, Micronesia, Melanesia, or Australia.

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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"War Charm | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=76.40