Could be 19-20th century, But the lack of Patina on the rope makes me quite suspicious this is an antique. What do you think?
It wants to be African tourist jewelry, but it could be Indian. If we knew where those teeth came from, or the species, that would be half the battle.
Hmmm... it is said to be Asian. Perhaps Papuan, as you said. Your specimen displays magnificent age-old patina. Kudos! The shells seem identical. Teeth may be boar or wild canine. Rope work looks identical as well.
Now the question - do these sell worth anything, and will Eboo issue a takedown on the teeth even though the critters aren't endangered?
I wish it were mine , but it's not. The same way yours is not Asian. I can't give you an exact age on yours, but will say it is culturally correct for the region....& authentic. There is a large Oceanic community out there.....& your item does have value. Many auctions run PNG items......find one and ask them what they think of your teeth.......
The jury is still out on if Papua is still considered Asia (neighboring Indonesia is), but it is an interesting item. I did not buy it yet. The seller wants some 150$.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/207574...-guinea?ref=landingpage_similar_listing_top-1 https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/204652385/dog-tooth-necklace-from-papua-new-guinea look around....they're out there..... $150 sounds fair...... Oh....& PNG is considered Oceanic Tribal Art......
Dog teeth and nassa shells. http://collections.peabody.yale.edu/search/Record/YPM-ANT-148530 "Dog tooth necklace 'dodi ego gope'; made of inner bark string netting, decorated with dog teeth and small shell and 3 red beads. Length 15' [437] Southern Kamu Valley, Kapauku, Netherlands New Guinea." And one from my collection (not as nice as the one @Earl Brill is looking at):
Absolutely Papuan, not Asian. The eastern part of the island of New Guinea is an independent country under the name Papua New Guinea, short PNG. The western part is occupied by Indonesia, an Asian country, and is known by the Indonesian name of Irian Barat, meaning West Irian.* That is why western Papuan art is often referred to as Asian, and sometimes all Papuan art is. It is of course Oceanic or Pacific, not Asian. * You can still occasionally come across the 1960s politicized name of Irian Jaya, Indonesian for Irian victory/victorious. The name is not considered to be Papua-friendly since the West Papuans were preparing for independence from colonisation at the time. In the 1960s they went from one coloniser to the next. The politicized name is best forgotten.
