Linton — The Marquesas Islands 431 



EAR ORNAMENTS FOR MEN 



The most highly prized of the men's ear ornaments were the ha'akai (Dor- 

 dillon, 17). 



Ha'akai were made from whale ivory in the form of a thick disc from whose rear sur- 

 face a spur projected. The disc portion was oval, with a flat or slightly rounded outer surface, 

 and was undecorated except for two broad shallow grooves around the edge. The spur was 

 placed near one end of the oval, and was usually made in one piece with the disc. In the 

 specimen shown on the left (Plate lxxix, O, the spur is made from a separate piece of ivory, 

 its base fitting accurately into a cavity in the disc. It is held in place by small plugs of wood 

 and ivory which pass through holes drilled diagonally through both disc and spur. The ends 

 of these plugs are cut flush with the surface of the disc and it is evident that the attachment 

 was permanent. One or two small tiki figures in high relief are carved on the sides of the 

 spur, and in some plugs there is an additional figure at the tip. A hole, parallel to the long 

 axis of the disc, was usuall}' drilled through the spur near its base. 



The ornaments were worn with the discs in front of the ear, the spurs passing through 

 holes in the ear lobes and projecting behind. A small wooden plug, thrust through the hole 

 near the base of the spur, kept the ornament in position. The weight of some discs was 

 supported by a band which passed across the top of the head. 



Several other types of men's ear ornaments are described by early writers. 

 Stewart (59, pp. 248-249) says: 



In their ears, and entirely concealing them, they wore ornaments of light wood 

 whitened with pipe clay. They are perfectly flat in front, something in the shape of the 

 natural ear, but much larger, and are fastened by running a long projection on the hind part 

 through slits made in the ears for receiving such ornaments. 



A portrait of a chief wearing ear ornaments of this type is shown by 

 Cook (14, p. 306). In this figure the discs appear to be in the form of long 

 ovals of rather irregular outline. 



An object which probably formed part of an ear ornament of this general 

 type was obtained from a burial cave in fianamenu, Hiva Oa. It is an oval 

 disc of light wood about i}i inches long, ij% inches wide, and ^ of an inch 

 thick. In the center there is a small perforation which may have served for the 

 attachment of a spur. Both sides are smoothly finished, and the edge is cut in 

 such a way as to leave a flange on what was probably the outer side. 



Krusenstern (34, pp. 157-158) says of the natives of Nuku Hiva: 



They adorn their ears with large white muscles of a circular form, filled with a hard 

 substance like sand, to which a perforated boar's tusk is affixed for the purpose of fastening 

 it to the ear; a small wooden plug passes through the tooth, serving as a clasp to prevent its 

 falling out. 



Langsdorff (38, pp. 170-171) says: "A muscle shell of an ounce weight, to 

 which is fastened the fang of a hog somewhat polished, or a light oval piece of 

 breadfruit wood, is the great ear ornament," and Fleurieu (23, p. 114) makes 

 the observation that, "although both men and women have their ears pierced none 

 were seen who habitually wore pendants." 



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