Girl's hair headdress

Museum number:
11-483
Permalink:
ark:/21549/hm21110000483
Accession number:
Acc.25
Description:
The human hair headdress (tuinga lau ulu) is a Samoan mark of status worn on important occasions by the village virgin (taupou) or the son of the high chief (manaia). Hair is obtained from healthy girls of good family and bleached by treatment with saltwater and sun. The hair, tied into tufts, is strung into cords; a typical headdress has about 140 tufts. A framework (lave) of sticks, feathers and mirrors (modern substitutes for shells) is mounted at the front of the headdress above two forehead bands (pale fuiono) of Nautilus pompilius shells. The headdress fits tightly over a cap of tapa cloth, and is said to cause great discomfort to the wearer.
Donor:
Phoebe Apperson Hearst
Collection place:
Samoa
Verbatim coll. place:
Samoa
Culture or time period:
Samoan
Collector:
Phoebe Apperson Hearst
Materials:
Hair (material)
Taxon:
Nautilus pompilius
Object type:
ethnography
Function:
3.1 Status Objects and Insignia of Office
Accession date:
December 15, 1901
Department:
Oceania
Images:
Hearst Museum object 1 of 2 titled Girl's hair headdress, accession number 11-483, described as The human hair headdress (tuinga lau ulu) is a Samoan mark of status worn on important occasions by the village virgin (taupou) or the son of the high chief (manaia). Hair is obtained from healthy girls of good family and bleached by treatment with saltwater and sun. The hair, tied into tufts, is strung into cords; a typical headdress has about 140 tufts. A framework (lave) of sticks, feathers and mirrors (modern substitutes for shells) is mounted at the front of the headdress above two forehead bands (pale fuiono) of Nautilus pompilius shells. The headdress fits tightly over a cap of tapa cloth, and is said to cause great discomfort to the wearer.Hearst Museum object 2 of 2 titled Girl's hair headdress, accession number 11-483, described as The human hair headdress (tuinga lau ulu) is a Samoan mark of status worn on important occasions by the village virgin (taupou) or the son of the high chief (manaia). Hair is obtained from healthy girls of good family and bleached by treatment with saltwater and sun. The hair, tied into tufts, is strung into cords; a typical headdress has about 140 tufts. A framework (lave) of sticks, feathers and mirrors (modern substitutes for shells) is mounted at the front of the headdress above two forehead bands (pale fuiono) of Nautilus pompilius shells. The headdress fits tightly over a cap of tapa cloth, and is said to cause great discomfort to the wearer.
Legacy documentation:
Documentation associated with Hearst Museum object titled Girl's hair headdress, accession number 11-483, described as The human hair headdress (tuinga lau ulu) is a Samoan mark of status worn on important occasions by the village virgin (taupou) or the son of the high chief (manaia). Hair is obtained from healthy girls of good family and bleached by treatment with saltwater and sun. The hair, tied into tufts, is strung into cords; a typical headdress has about 140 tufts. A framework (lave) of sticks, feathers and mirrors (modern substitutes for shells) is mounted at the front of the headdress above two forehead bands (pale fuiono) of Nautilus pompilius shells. The headdress fits tightly over a cap of tapa cloth, and is said to cause great discomfort to the wearer.

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