IDNO

P.87379.VH

Description

Dufty studio portrait of a young Christian man in war, taqa review or dancing dress, holding a kiakavo war club. He has flowers in his oiled hair, and necklet with pendant round his neck. He wears a broad iwabale shoulder sash of fringed, brown, smoked masikuvui barkcloth, with a similar waist sash over his white malo loincloth, the waistband of which is fastened high up beneath his ribs in the challenging malowala manner, and has a black likusausauwai overskirt tied round his waist. The muscles of his left arm above the elbow and both legs below the knee are braced with vesasausauwai bindings fringed with trade beads. He may be a tribal auxliary, mustered to serve with government forces against “rebel” Kai Colo in the Vitilevu mountain campaign of 1876, dressed for a taqa review before the governor at Levuka, prior to departing on active service.
Levuka, circa 1875-1876. [Fergus Clunie, 26/7/2003]

Place

Oceania Polynesia; Fiji; Ovalau Island; Levuka

Cultural Affliation

Named Person

Photographer

Dufty Brothers, Levuka (Dufty, Francis Herbert)

Collector / Expedition

von Hügel, Anatole (Baron)

Date

circa 1875 - 1876

Collection Name

Von Hugel Collection

Source

Format

Carte-de-visite; Print Black & White Mounted

Primary Documentation

Other Information

P.87352.VH to P.87387.VH were in the envelope now numbered C512/6/. This envelope came from the Museum’s paper archive envelope VH1/4/7, which has now been re-numbered C512/.

Related Image: This print or negative appears to be a unique image within the MAA Photograph Collections. [JD 29/12/2011]

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