Title
Comb
Year/Period
Late 19th-early 20th century
Region
Sumba, Lesser Sunda Islands
Dimension
Object size: 17.0 x 14.0 x 6.0 cm
Accession No.
2002-00561
Collection of
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. Edmond Chin
This is a turtleshell comb with motifs of antlered deers and fighting cocks or male parrots.This sort of combs were worn by women and girls of Sumba. Antlered deer symbolise royalty, while the confronting fighting cocks or male parrots represent the upper world of spirits, ancestors and the nobility. They can also represent the aggression of aristocratic warriors.
