Breast Ornament
| Culture | Santa Cruz Islands |
|---|---|
| Title | Breast Ornament (Tema, Tambe, or Tepatu) |
| Date | Unknown |
| Medium | Tridacna shell, turtle shell, and and fiber |
| Dimensions | Object (measurement does not include fiber twine): 5 5/8 × 5 13/16 in. (14.3 × 14.8 cm) Overall (measurement does not include fiber twine): 5 5/8 x 5 13/16 in. (14.3 x 14.8 cm) |
| Credit Line | Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 86.16 |
| This artwork is currently on view. | |
A circular white shell with carved turtle shell overlap from the top center to the lower middle. There is fiber attached to the top of the ornament.
Personal adornment in the Santa Cruz Islands was an important cultural form. Ornaments such as this one, called tema, might have been worn either attached to the forehead or as a pendant. Highly valued and worn by elite men these ornaments were signs of prestige and status.
Tema are a local variant of kapkap which is found in other parts of Melanesia. These ornaments are created from a clamshell with a turtle shell overlay and are often ornate. Tema frequently depict birds and geometric patterns connected to the natural world. Interestingly, within the Santa Cruz Islands the separate elements of tema are made by different artists.
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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Cite this page
"Breast 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=86.16