Shuar akitiai (ear ornaments)
ca. 1930
Upper Amazon, Ecuador
Beetlewing covers, toucan feathers, plant fibers, glass beads
27 x 11 cm
Collected by Dr. Victor Wolfgang Von Hagen
18/8740
The Shuar are astute observers of the natural world, evident in the vast range of animal, plant, and mineral materials they use to make personal adornments. These iridescent beetlewing-cover ornaments, or akitiai, were worn by men during formal occasions and ceremonies. They are tipped with red and yellow toucan feathers.