Fiji Womans Headrest Ex Fiji Museum

A very unusual and very old headrest or ka/i, somewhat Tongan in shape with a Society island feel to it. However, it is Fijian and specifically of a type known to be reserved for the use of women. It has three small holes drilled on one foot and two on the other, again probably some form of ownership, rank or tally indicator.

Fiji, Polynesia.
Iron wood.
41.2 x 10.4 x 14.5 x 11. 7 cm.
18/19th century.

 

Provenance Ex collection Fiji Museum, Suva, inv. N° 536/30 with another illegible number in red paint.

The Fiji Museum collection catalogue for the years 1930-39 lists artifact # 536/30 as a headrest or kali. Country of origin : Fiji and is described as "for a woman".
The catalogue indicates that this headrest was " ... amongst a group of items that were either sold off or returned to their original owners ... "

Literature: Pub. : Oceanic Headrests - Sleep with the Ancestors, Galerie Meyer, Paris, 2004, Fig. 52, p. 76