Marine Ivory Hook Pendant, Hawaii

niho palaoa

Lynda Cunningham, New York

Excellent condition overall. Two very small old nicks to the edge of the curved upward projecting 'tongue', one visible in the catalogue illustration. A few small scuffs and marks. A stable hairline crack to the body of the pendant, as visible in the catalogue illustration. Fine nuanced patina. Has stand.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This hook shaped pendant, niho palaoa, would have been attached to a long bundled braid of human hair, to form the necklace and insignia of rank known as lei niho palaoa, 'the most spectacular of all Hawaiian ornaments' (Kaeppler, Polynesia: the Mark and Carolyn Blackburn Collection, 2010, p. 371). These necklaces were the preserve of the ali’i, the Hawaiian nobility, and according to David Malo, the Hawaiian historian, they were second in value and prestige only to feather articles, such as the great cloaks (ahu). Malo notes that the ali'i would wear their lei niho palaoa, like their cloaks, 'in battle or on occasions of ceremony and display' (Malo, Hawaiian Antiquities, 1903, p. 107).

The interpretation of the distinctive shape of niho palaoa remains uncertain. According to Cox and Davenport, its curving tongue-like shape represents the ultimate abstraction of the 'protruding jaw-mouth-tongue' form found in ‘aumakua images of family gods or deified ancestors (Cox & Davenport, Hawaiian Sculpture, 1974, p. 42), a theory which perhaps indicates the genealogical connection between these deities and the aristocratic wearers of lei niho palaoa.