IDNO

P.99901.VH

Description

Head and shoulders studio portrait of Ro Matanitobua, Tui Namosi, the chief of Namosi in the highlands of southern Vitilevu, whose domain stretched south to the coast at Navua. He retains the “ululevu” or “big head” of a follower of the Fijian religion, and has yet to be tamed by the missionaries. His fine wakaya fibre necklet is studded with white trade beads, which were used to dignify chiefly and priestly items because of their resemblance to white cowrie shells, which were symbolic of divinity and authority.
The pencil captions are misleading - Ro Matanitobua was not the chief of Ba, which is in northern Vitilevu. See P.99903.VH.
Circa 1869 - early 1870s. [Fergus Clunie, 14/7/2003]

Physical Condition: Print mounted onto card.

Place

Oceania Polynesia; Fiji; Ovalau Island; ?Levuka; southern Vitilevu; Namosi

Cultural Affliation

Kai Colo

Named Person

Ro Matanitobua

Photographer

?Dufty Brothers, Levuka

Collector / Expedition

von Hügel, Anatole (Baron)

Date

circa 1869 - 1875

Collection Name

von Hügel Collection

Source

von Hügel, Anatole (Baron)

Format

Print Black & White Mounted

Primary Documentation

Other Information

P.99726.VH to P.100050.VH were in the belted folder now numbered C539/3/. This was formerly kept in paper archive Large Box G; VH1/4/5. It has now been transferred to the photo archive. The lists describing the contents of this box have been returned to the Paper Archive.

This print has been catalogued with the support of the Getty Grant Fund. [A. Nadin, 18/9/2003]