Description:

Oceania, Melanesia, Solomon Islands, Santa Cruz Islands, ca. 19th century CE. A rare pair of dance sticks known as ndabma or noveapu that are decorated with scarlet feathers from the honey-eater bird, all attached around two coconut wood sticks. These ornaments were worn by men during ceremonial dances, either through their nose or in their hair. The feathers are arranged around the stick, the black and white bands are from the wing feathers of the bird, while the brilliant red is from the petite bird's back and head, and fluffy white down feathers are attached as a finial with pitch. These sticks were ceremonial but also served as currency or dowry items. Hundreds of feathers were needed to cover the surface, so the scarlet honeyeater birds were caught alive using sticky sap traps, the feathers were plucked, then the bird is set free to ensure there were enough birds for future use. Size (taller stick): 16.25" L x 0.2" W (41.3 cm x 0.5 cm); 17" H (43.2 cm) on included custom stand.

Cf. the St. Louis Art Museum, object number 1528:1983.2a-c.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection, 1995 to 2010

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#168978

  • Condition: Repair to midsection of one stick, with very light adhesive residue along break lines. Losses to red feathers along both sicks and fraying / clumping to white feather finials. Old inventory labels attached to the tips of both sticks.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Shipping

Auction House will ship, at Buyer's expense

August 18, 2022 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 26.5% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000