The oldest known necklace of shells are found in coastal residence at West Point, south of Marrawah. Series, which consists of 32 king or queen maireener shells pierced with a small hole in each, were placed with the cremated human remains buried in a pit of about 1,800 years.
Make necklaces of shells has always been the role of women, and women today are still the rails of "ownership" of cultural tradition. Women have had and have knowledge of where and when to collect the shells, in places like Bruny Island, Robbins Island, off the coast Woolnorth, the northeast coast and near the beaches of Bass Strait islands, usually between March and June. Shell chains were of great value, which is used as part of trade or permit the collection of red ocher used in sacred rituals. The collection and distribution of ocher was also the role of women.
In 1792, Labillardiere found that Aboriginal women were the "threads of bright flowers, berries and bows brilliant blue pearl shells spiral when the head naked," and he was given a necklace with pearl shells Aboriginal man believed to be a important leader. Watercolors by Baudin expedition in 1802 is described Baraourou, Maria Island man, who wears a ring of king or queen maireener shells around their necks. These necklaces are similar to those at West Point. The file shows three types of shell necklaces worn by the natives before the invasion: a circle or crown worn around the head, worn close to the rope around his neck, and a band worn around the arm.
There are differences in shell necklaces made thirty years after the invasion. The shells are smaller, and necklaces are longer curls around the neck as they are today. The shells are maireeners, but different species, the slope became in 1802 the king or queen maireeners necklace with small maireeners 1830. In the pendant, the shells are spaced thread on the kangaroo tail tendon fiber or string, while the collar is lying on maireeners cotton yarn and shells are close together. The shells were drilled in 1802, the tusk of a kangaroo, and the shells were probably drilled in 1830 with a punch of metal.
The pendant was a short practical application in the pre-invasion culture where people move through the bush and diving into the sea would not have been able to wear long earrings necklaces. But when this tradition was discontinued after 1803, people have adapted their practices and made the strings of shells in the long son. The second major adaptation was the use of tools UK - the steel needle and cotton thread. As with the rapid adoption of hunting dogs to help Aboriginal women quickly used the needle and cotton to change their practices. Tiara and great king or queen of shells maireener changed since the old pendant short practice, the shell necklaces delicate and complex manufactured by Aboriginal women after the invasion. Needles allowed the rails to create necklaces with beautiful designs using shells of different shapes and colors.
Maireener shells are difficult to collect and clean the tape, but many of the sleepers to wade out of the algae and low effort to collect live shells.
A portrait of the leader Bruny Island in 1834 Duterreau Woorady illustrates this powerful warrior with a series of three rows of small shiny shells around his neck. Louisa Anne Meredith describes "several meters long, consisting of [Columbella] shells completely bored, nervous, and very closely on kangaroo tendons, [used] repeatedly twisted around his neck and hanging low on the chest" necklaces. The Museum and Art Gallery of Tasmania has a collar with green maireeners 340 cm are very rare nowadays.
