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Shells are Gold - Kinas

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[Kina Shell: 14k]

The gold-lipped pearl shell is cut into crescent shapes called kina. Small dots are drilled to accentuate the shape.


[Kina shell case: 26k]

Kina shells have their own cases just like jewelry boxes. This one is made of bark.


[Warrior with kina: 20k]

Both of these warriors wear kina shells as the focal point of their dress.


[Warrior with drum: 25k]

This broken kina shell would not be considered valuable for ceremonial payments, but it is still good for a dance.


[Two sisters: 44k]

Two Highland girls display their wealth.


[Moka: 18k]

When a kina is used as payment a in ceremony, it may be mounted onto a oval clay-covered display board called a moka and stained with bright red dyes.


[Wigman with red kina: 20k]

Wigman with red-stained kina shell necklace.

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Collecting New Guinea art in the field since 1964.


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Papua New Guinea: Highlands: body art - Bundi tapa - jewelry/dancers | Karawari and Blackwater Rivers: masks - carvings - map | Massim: artifacts- Trobriand Kula - map | Kula canoe | New Britain: Baining - Sulka - Tolai dukduk | New Ireland: Malagan | Ramu River: masks - carvings - map | Sepik River: masks - carvings - villages - map | Papuan Gulf: masks - carvings - map - Gogodala - Kukukuku
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art and craft: barkcloth (tapa) | body art | cane and fiber figures | canoes and prows | jewelry/dancers | masks - Middle Sepik | phallocrypts | pottery - Chambri | shields | story boards | suspension hooks | weapons | yam masks - fiber | yam masks - wood

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Photographs, text and maps copyright © Carolyn Leigh, 1996-2010. All rights reserved.
http://www.art-pacific.com/artifacts/nuguinea/bilas/traditional/kina.htm
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Artifacts on this site are collected in the field by my husband, Ron Perry. I take the photographs, do the html, text and maps. More background in Who We Are. Art-Pacific has been on the WWW since 1996. We hope you enjoy our New Guinea tribal art and Indonesian folk art as much as we do. Carolyn Leigh, P.O. Box 85284, Tucson, AZ 85754-5284 USA, Art-Pacific at http://www.art-pacific.com/