Malekula Archers Bracelet

A conical archers bracelet carved on one side with a flared center and the other side flat. Bracelets of this kind are known from the two examples collected in the field by Dr. Philippe François during the last quarter of the 19th century and according to his informants they are archers' protective wrist bracelets and reportedly from Malekula Island. See N° 71.1893.41.14 and 71.1893.41.15) in the collections of the Musée du Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac in Paris. There are two confirmed examples collected by Felix Speiser in the Volkerkunde Museum, Basel. And finally, the drawing by Nikolaï Nikolaïevitch Mikloukho-Maklaï between 1871 to 1883 confims both the function and the provenance, naming the bracelet as “Paka” in the vernacular.
Malekula, Vanuatu, Melanesia.
Wood with an old and dry patina.
19th century.
11 Ø x 10,1 x 1,7 cm.

 

Provenance Reportedly collected by Gaston CRINON who lived in Vanuatu and New Caledonia from 1898 to1957. Sold at auction by CHAYETTE & CHEVAL SARL: Charlotte van GAVER, December 14, 2017, Hotel Drouot, Paris. Part of lot 130 (one of two).

Literature: Mikluho-Maklay, N. N., Œuvres complètes, Collections ethnographiques. Dessins et photographies (2e éd.), Saint-Pétersbourg, Fondation Mikluho-Maklay, vol.6, 2020.

Thank you to Jean-Edouard Carlier and #oceanicartparis for bringing the Mikloukho-Maklaï  drawing to my attention.