Hammerhead shark and other fish incised on a pearl shell
Date19th century
Object number00004280
NameSculpture
MediumPearl shell
DimensionsOverall: 178 x 146 x 30 mm, 0.35 kg
ClassificationsDecorative and folk art
Credit LineANMM Collection
Collections
DescriptionAn incised pearl shell, known in the Bardi language as riji, featuring decoration depicting a hammerhead shark surrounded by fish, including a marlin and another shark.HistoryIn the far north-west of Australia, a much larger shell offered people quite a different object to work with. The pearl shell, with its large flat shape, became a canvas upon which to inscribe designs. The shells were harvested off shore at very low equinox tides. People from the Buccaneer Archipelago used Gaalwa rafts constructed of mangrove logs fastened together with wooden pegs to visit offshore reefs. Both men and women were involved in different aspects of the harvesting, crafting and wearing of pearl shell.
The Kimberley coast was renowned for its incised and decorated pearl shell – known as riji or jakuli in the Bardi Jawi language. After gathering the shell, it would be opened and cleaned and have one to three attachment holes pierced by a stone flake. Some shells were not engraved, but most were incised on the lustrous inner face of the shell with ochre or charcoal infill.
Pearl shells were used in ceremonies such as initiation, rain-making and love magic and worn as body adornment, with large shells being worn by men as pubic coverings, tied around the waist with a belt of human hair. Smaller shells were also worn around the neck or tucked into headbands by both men and women; these were considered as informal wear, with the larger shells usually associated with more formal events such as ceremonies. The incised lines and engravings on the shells often identified clan groups, places or animals and held significant stories.
The shells were also traditionally associated with trade and exchange, water, magic and sorcery. Their incandescence and connection with rain-making linked them to the Rainbow Serpent, a creator god, and its manifestation as a rainbow. Flashes of light from the shimmering surface of the inner shell connected the shells to lightning and thus the production of rain clouds.
The pearl shell’s connection to water was prominent. It has been described by the Bardi Jawi people as ‘an emblem of life itself’, with the seasonal re-awakening of the land after dry periods ‘embodied in the shell.’ In 1990 the Kimberley artist and Walmajarri elder Mumbadadi from Christmas Creek described pearl shell as ‘… for everybody – man and woman. This is rain. This everything water’. Thus the importance of pearl shells was great, both along the coast and for thousands of kilometres inland. Shells were traded in various routes across much of the Australian continent.
Since the mid-20th century shellwork has also been used to engage with various histories since colonialism. Today, artists from the Kimberley coast such as Gary and Darrell Sibosado are still creating riji. Their etched pearl shell designs have also been transformed into print media such as etchings and other graphic design, becoming an accepted part of Indigenous contemporary art.
The Torres Strait Islands were another important and rich location for pearl shells and also part of the often tragic history of the lucrative pearling industry in Australia. Here, shells – now harvested sustainably – continue to be a key material in the palette of artists who create items central to ceremonial performances, such as headdresses, masks, headbands, necklaces, breast ornaments and armlets. Pearl shell – often worn around the neck as a charm – conferred prestige on its owners, and can be found in the dhoeri and dari headdresses (the dari features on the Torres Strait Island flag). Contemporary artists such as Ricardo Idagi, Obery Sambo and George Nona use varieties of lustrous shells, including pearl shell.
SignificanceRiji are a significant part of material culture in the Kimberly coastal region and traditionally feature geometric patterns or figurative motifs. They are closely assocated with the water, spritual powers and healing and were also important trade objects.
