Descriptions

This comb is from Tonga and is traditionally called helu. This example was made by weaving plant fibres around sharpened wooden sticks. The fibres form a coloured pattern but also have the practical purpose of holding the sticks together to form a handle and spreading them to form the teeth. This example was acquired by John Gould Veitch on the HMS Curacoa in 1865.

This object is on display at RAMM in the World Cultures gallery.