Breastplate and apron from a mourner′s costume, parai heva, of wood and mother-of-pearl shell, from the Society Islands; part of the Forster collection (part of Forster 1; 1886.1.1637.2.1)

Part of a Mourner's Dress. The wooden breastplate is crescent shaped and painted black on one side. Five mother of pearl shells are sewn on to the breast plate with coconut fibre through perforations in the shells and the breast plate. There is one mother of pearl shell at either end and the remaining three are equally spaced along the breast plate. An apron consisting of thin rectangular cut pieces of mother of pearl shell is attached to the breast plate. The pieces of shell are strung together with fibre through a perforation in each shell

• Museum database entry.