IDNO

P.87310.VH

Description

Studio portrait of “Ra Kilio, Ba native”, cut out and transposed against a photograph taken in a coconut grove. See P.87336.VH. [Fergus Clunie, 26/7/2003]

Studio portrait of Ra Kilio, a young Ba or northern Vitilevu chief with an enthusiastically Wesleyan hairstyle. See P.87310.VH for his identity. He is wearing both a Balileka (bali = authority, leka = white cowrie) cowrie shell pendant and a huge wasekaseka or waseisei collar of curved spikes split and shaped from sperm whale teeth or walrus tusks about his neck, and holding a gadi war club. His flowery isulu wrap-around skirt is secured by a leather belt, complete with wallet pouch and sheathed knife. Circa 1875/6. [Fergus Clunie, 14/7/2003, from record P.87336.VH, JD 26/12/2011]

Place

Oceania Polynesia; Fiji; Ovalau Island; Levuka; northern Vitilevu; Ba

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Ra Kilio

Photographer

Dufty Brothers, Levuka (Dufty, Francis Herbert)

Collector / Expedition

von Hügel, Anatole (Baron)

Date

circa 1870 - 1875

Collection Name

Von Hugel Collection

Source

Format

Print Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

P.87297.VH to P.87320.VH were wrapped in the piece of paper now numbered C512/3/. This envelope came from the Museum’s paper archive envelope VH1/4/7, which has now been re-numbered C512/.

Photographer: This seems to have been taken in the Dufty Brothers’ Levuka studio. The painting in the background is particularly distinctive. [Alex Nadin, 30/9/2003]

This print has been catalogued with the support of the Getty Grant Program One. [A. Nadin, 2/7/2003]