Title
Pair of headdress ornaments
Year/Period
Early 20th century
Region
Northern Thailand
Object Type
Accession No.
1993-00535
Collection of
These silver horseshoe-shaped ornaments are suspended from an Akha headdress.For many highland communities, silver was valued more highly than gold. Silver jewellery was a way of investing a family’s wealth to be passed down as heirlooms. It was also believed to have protective properties. Today, where security maybe a problem, silver is kept locked away while aluminium is used as a substitute.Originally, highlanders from China, the Akha people have recently begun to move southwards into mainland Southeast Asia.
