tevau

Lynda Cunningham, New York

Good condition overall, with typical wear to the red Myzomela cardinalis feathers, revealing the grey pigeon feathers beneath in places; more wear to the reverse (as mounted), revealing more of the fiber substrate. The red feathers retain very good colour throughout. Losses to the attached strings with Job's tears and seeds, and some in fragmentary condition. Has wall mount.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Unique to the Santa Cruz archipelago in the Solomon Islands, this coiled currency, known as tevau, gets its vibrant red hue from the feathers of cardinal honeyeaters (Myzomela cardinalis). Often stretching thirty feet or more in length, tevau featured prominently in wedding ceremonies as ceremonial dowry payments from the groom to the bride’s family. More quotidian uses have also been recorded, especially for large purchases such as pigs and canoes. Feather money was also treasured for the pride and satisfaction which possession of it gave to its owners. Prestige was accumulated by spending feather money to hold feasts, or to help kinsmen obtain brides, and 'prestige won in these ways [was] the source of political power and authority.' (Davenport, 'Red Feather Money', Scientific American, 1962, vol. 206, no. 3, p. 85).

The production of tevau was painstaking and handled solely by a small and exclusive group of craftsmen, whose skills, believed to be spiritually inspired, were hereditary. Each coil of tevau required upwards of sixty thousand feathers, obtained from approximately 300 birds. After the first tevau making specialist has captured the hone✤yeaters and plucked their feathers a second man glues the feathers to grey pigeon feathers using sap. Finally, a third specialist binds the strips of feathers today to a belt-like fiber strip and wounds 𝔍the monumental work into its distinctive coiled shape.