Mairreener shell necklace by Lola Greeno
Object No. 93/404/2
This is a necklace of Mairreener shells ('toothy' shells) made by Lola Greeno of Tasmania, in 1993. Traditionally, a string of Mairreener shells was given as an expression of love, welcome or parting. Seafarers and traders recognised their beauty and value but the shells never lost their significance as a Tasmanian Aboriginal cultural emblem. Greeno spent many months collecting, polishing and stringing these 'toothy' shells at her home on Cape Barren Island, off the north-east coast of Tasmania 'To be able to create these pieces, one has to merge with the landscape'.
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Summary
Object Statement
Necklace (mairreener), 'toothy' shell / cotton, Lola Greeno, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia, 1993
Physical Description
Circular necklace, looped single strand of very small, pearly pink / white shells known as 'toothy' shells, strung onto white cotton quilting thread. The shells have been coated with baby oil. 'Mairreener' is the Tasmanian Aboriginal world for these neckalces.
DIMENSIONS
Width
25 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
This necklace was made by Lola Greeno (b. 1946 on Cape Barren Island) in Launceston, Tasmania. Lola Greeno often watched necklaces being made as she was growing up, collecting the shells and making them into necklaces was part of her childhood Sundays. The making of such necklaces is being revived by the descendants of Tasmanian Aboriginal people from the Bass Strait Islands, especially Cape Barren Island. Traditionally the necklaces had ritual and cultural significance as gifts. This perception remains, although there are also wider meanings associated with them: as adornment, a gift celebrating rites of passage, an expressions of identity in the way of a both a cultural and personal heirloom, trade goods and souvenirs.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Purchased 1993
Acquisition Date
25 November 1993
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