Mendi Shell Currency Necklace beaker The Middle Cauca complex

The Middle Cauca complex

The use of excrement and other taboo substances in their making reinforces their fearsome authority — boliw embody both purification and poison

where meetings

is often regarded as the cradle of Chinese civilization

Mendi Shell Currency Necklace beaker The Middle Cauca complexMendi people, early 20th century, Mendi Valley, Southern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea Charming old necklace composed of three cut and finely polished Conus shell halves, their surfaces beautifully softened by long use and handling over generations. Shells were among the most valued forms of traditional wealth in Papua New Guineaespecially in the Highlands, where they had to be traded across great distances from the coast through rugged