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Jewellery making in the Pacific started later than in other areas, due to relatively recent human settlement. Early Polynesian jewellery, which was made of bone, wood and other natural materials, has not survived. The precise start of island jewellery-making is difficult to pinpoint, due to many of the island nations' founders migrating there from other areas, such as Tahiti. Most Pacific jewellery is worn above the waist. Headdresses, necklaces, hair pins and arm and waist belts are the most common pieces amongst island cultures. ==Types of Pacific jewellery and their social meanings== The styles and types of jewellery in the Pacific changes greatly from island to island, as does the purpose of wearing it. As in most cultures, jewellery in the Pacific is worn to symbolise the wearer's power, whether it be wealth or victory in battle. Jewellery in the Pacific, with the exception of Australia, is worn to be a symbol of either power, but in many cases across the Pacific, jewellery is worn to show fertility. As a prime example, the hei-tiki of the New Zealand Māori is said to be a sign of fertility. However, many historians suggest that the carved necklace has connections with Tiki, the first Māori, who also has strong ties with the symbolism of fertility. Historians also speculate that the reason the tiki is worn is that the Tiki is a product of the ancient belief of a god named Tiki. This supreme being is known to be ancient and not solely localised to the Māori, and is thought to date back to before the Māoris even settled in New Zealand.〔(Hiroa, T.R. 1974. The Coming of the Maori ), ''Wellington: Whitcombe and Tombs''〕 Elaborate headdresses are worn by many Pacific cultures and some wear certain headdresses once they have killed an enemy in battle. The wearing of headdresses is particularly common in Papua New Guinea, where there are often many different types of headdress for different occasions. These headdresses are usually made out of vegetation, but designs often include birds of paradise feathers, including the highly sought-after King of Saxony feathers. The power associated with the headdresses in Papua New Guinea is phenomenal, perhaps stirred by the amount of work and craftsmanship that has gone into make such a feathered display. Like the Papua New Guineans, New Zealand Māori wore feathered headdresses too to symbolize power. The now extinct huia feather was highly prized, with chiefs wearing white-tipped huia feathers to symbolise power over chiefs wearing monotone feathers. Huia feathers were revered as "taonga" or treasures by Māori and in later times, the European settlers. The huia feathers were often grouped in twos and were usually accompanied by a kiwi feather cloak, an ear piercing and commonly a small jade club. After Western colonisation, European woman began wearing the feathers to express their strong social standing.〔 Pacific jewellery has now lost much of its former strong cultural meaning. Most Pacific jewellery now is created for the sole purpose of commercial and tourist profits. Indeed, some pieces of jewellery have become major symbols of the Pacific's lifestyle to tourists, such as leis in Hawaii, which are now commonly associated with that area and its laid back, tourist-friendly attitude. Another example is the previously mentioned New Zealand tiki, which is generally one of the more purchased jewellery types from the country.〔 Australia is notable for its large deposits of opals, with the country being the number one supplier of opals in the world. The richest source is at Lightning Ridge〔Dorling Kindersley Ltd. 1989. Facts and Fallacies: Stories of the Strange and Unusual. ''Reader's Digest''. 11-13.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Jewellery in the Pacific」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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