Shell Necklaces – Theft & Cultural Appropriation

This story in the Hobart Mercury in 1908 is unlikely in one sense yet it brings a rather unexpected dimension to the Hobart Necklace story in another. The first thing about the case that seems a little surprising is the number shell necklaces involved – "more than 100 dozen". By itself this is an indication of the potential size of the commercial shell necklace 'industry' that seems was operating out of Hobart in the late 19th Century, early 20th Century. At the time Tasmania's population was something less than 200,000 people and Hobart's population was less than 40,000. While it seems that M M Martin of Cascade Rd. Hobart & Honolulu were running a substantial enterprise exporting necklaces from Tasmania to "Australasia" and abroad – Honolulu at least. This Supreme Court Case seems to suggest that apart from the Martin enterprise there may well have been two additional operations capable of producing a similar number of necklaces – . Earnest Mawle's report of 1918 implies that there was an industry operating in the Hobart region and his report needed to have been informed by a member(s?) of 'the industry'.

The court case identifies the owner (exporter?) of shell necklaces as "Paget" and there is a reference to "Fisher of Reserche" which suggests that the Martin enterprise had competition. In any event the size of the robbery alone gives some indication of the size of the industry. After that Mawle's report gives the impression that shell necklace making was acknowledged as an industry of a kind albeit that its scale is somewhat hard to estimate.

The estimated value of the "100 dozen shell necklaces stolen" (£71/-/- seventy one pounds) provides some additional clues – approx. £0/1/2 each. This would seem to be wholesale vale considering that in 1905 the Technological Museum in Sydney paid £0/2/6 for a single long necklace – more than double. "The wage for unskilled labourers [1907] was set at seven shillings a day (up from six), with an extra allowance for overtime – LINK."

By any measure the industry could not be regarded as lucrative based on these numbers. At the same time given Tasmania's and Hobart's population at the time it does not appear to be insubstantial. It now seems that a great many shell necklaces were being produced in Tasmania as a part of this industry that relatively little is known about.

Tasmanian Aboriginal Shell Necklaces Win Icon Status inTasmania

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What's in it for anyone if something is dubbed an "icon"? It seems that the National Trust thinks that there is something in it for them, and maybe so. The long and short of this kind of thing is that there is some kind of marketing imperative involved. That's alright so far as that goes but when you look at the list and read the rhetoric that comes with the announcement of such things there has to be a tinge of doubt about the sentiments that may be found lurking around somewhere.

Among the disparate mix of 2009's Tasmanian Heritage Icons there are the "shell necklaces made by Indigenous Tasmanians". In wording the nomination like this there seems to be an acknowledgement that there has long been some unarticulated background knowledge that not all shell necklaces made in Tasmania had or have Aboriginal authenticity.

It could be difficult working out whether or not you are looking at "an icon." Well not really if the there is no clear provenance or certificate of authenticity it seems that the safest thing to do is assume that it doesn't have the credibility that would enable it to be a 'Tasmania Heritage Icon.'

For contemporary work this is something that can be arranged relatively easily but it gets to be whole lot more complex when it comes to Antique & Vintage examples.

NEWS LINKS

• [1 – Mercury H'bt 12.11.09 – Bread, honey icon aim]
• [2 – ABC: 9.11.09 – Tasmanian 'icons' recognised]
  
• [3– Advocate – 9.11.09 Cradle Mountain is `choice' with kids]
• [4 _ ABC: 09.11.09 - Icons Listed ]

Found on eBAY: Maireener Shell Necklace – UK

NOTE: Interestingly the words "Maireener, Tasmanian or Aboriginal" do NOT appear in the description of this piece. They have been used commonly on eBAY in recent times. for necklaces that look like this one Indeed, so commonly that there is a case for the proposition the words are used in a 'value adding exercise' by eBAY sellers.

These shells almost certainly originated in Tasmania and the necklace is typical of necklaces of late 19th & early/mid 20th C commercial production that have been attributed Aboriginal cultural production.

If the circa 1920s is near the mark, this necklace way well have been a part of M M Martins production that was being exported out of Tasmania around that time and earlier. If in fact it was exported to the UK in the 1950s, which it may have been, it may well have been a part of Bertie May's production – more information is coming to light in relation to his operation in the 1950s .

Equally, it may well be an example of 20th C Tasmanian Aboriginal cultural production from the Furneaux Islands. Without clear provenance it is becoming increasingly difficult distinguish between 19th & early/mid 20th C commercial necklace production and Tasmanian Aboriginal cultural production – 19th/20th C.

Typically eBAY sellers have very limited information in regard to provenance when requested to provide any information at all in regard to how they came by these necklaces. This is also the case for when such necklaces turn up at antique auctions in Tasmania.

CALL FOR INFORMATION – Tasmanian Shell Necklaces

SNRN (Shell Necklace Research Network) is seeking information from within the Tasmanian community and further afield in regard to:

1. Any information at all in regard to 19th Century colonial and early 20th Century shell necklace making in Tasmania;

2. To complement the information available in regard to ABORIGINAL makers, the SNRN is looking for information about NON-ABORIGINAL makers in Tasmania such as:

• Arthur Robert Butterfield – watchmaker, jeweller and optician at 51 Elizabeth Street, Hobart circa 1898 – click here for more information;
  
• Mrs Mary Maria Martin (MM The Senior & nee Alexander of L’ton) and specifically information about her Factory(?) at 65 Cascade Road, Hobart – 1875 … shop(?) at 75 Collins Street Hobart from about 1906 until 1908 – her husband Thomas Daniel was reported ass being a tanner? ... M M Martin (MM The Senior) died 1924 aged 79
• Frederick Charles Martin (MM’s son) who it seems ran a branch factory in Honolulu, Hawaii – dates unknown;
• J J Martin (Joseph John & MM’s son) was a jeweller at 83 Collins Street Hobart and possibly in Zeehan at sometime;
• 'Bertie' J May, travel goods and souvenir manufacturer (jewellery & shell necklaces?) – Hobart cica 1946, 1948
• Mary May Martin (MM The Younger) and Ellen Martin who in 1927 were trading as M M Martin & Co, shell manufacturers – Mary May Martin (MM The Younger) died – 13 Nov. 1933, aged 51 – Ellen Ida Martin died in August 1969 and seems Ida had continued to trade until 1948 and possibly into the 1950s;
• Miss Stewart who had a jewellery shop on Brisbane St. in Launceston and it seems she traded in shell necklaces into the 1950s along with other businesses on or near Brisbane St.
  

3. To identifying collectors and collections of shell necklaces in Tasmania and elsewhere outside the TMAG, QVMAG and other public collections throughout Australia.

Very little is known about the people making shell necklaces in Tasmania in the 19th C and early 20th C and less is known about their necklace making. However, it seems that given the scale of production that these makers seemed to be involved in, Tasmanian shell necklaces coming to light at auctions, estate clearances and more recently on eBAY, are quite likely to have been made by a non-Aboriginal maker – 1880 – 1950s(?).

Interesting Information:

• It seems that shell necklaces made in Tasmania/Hobart were marketed internationally(?) as “Hobart Necklaces” – possibly this was the basis of ‘The Martin Family’s enterprise??
• The ‘maireneer’ shells (misunderstood as mariner of seaman connections) are being described as that on eBay currently and somewhat surprisingly. They have been known as that in the wider Tasmanian community for about 10 years but not so widely. However, it is a word that has never lost its currency in the Aboriginal community;
  
• It seems that some people in Tasmania made shell necklaces on their "summer holidays at the coast on wet and windy days” in the 1950s and conceivably before that too – and maybe since?
• Shell necklaces are quintessential exemplars of ‘TASMANIANA’ along with Huon Pine, Tasmanian Tigers, etc.
• It was thought that Tasmaniana included “apple seed necklaces” (some even considered the possibility of Aboriginal people making them) BUT it turns out that there are NO APPLE SEED NECKLACES, rather they are IPIL SEED ( the seed of a kind of tropical acacia) necklaces and made in the Philippines – many of which were imported into Tasmania as “hippy beads” (?) in the 1970s. ... click here for more information
  

Any information confirming information above OR information to the contrary would be welcomed by the network.

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Contact information – eMail: shellnecklaces@7250.net