Charm Necklace

Tukano

Brooklyn Museum photograph

Brooklyn Museum photograph

Brooklyn Museum photograph

Brooklyn Museum photograph

1 of 4

Object Label

Among the Tucano of the northwestern Amazon basin, stories abound of people turning into animals to learn about their habits and of animals teaching people how to use certain resources in the natural world. Shamanic knowledge contains detailed descriptions of these encounters, and many shamans claim that animals have revealed to them an unexpected food source or the cure for an illness. This necklace of finely carved animal and human forms may have been worn by a shaman to acknowledge such a relationship.

Caption

Tukano. Charm Necklace, mid–20th century. Palm nut, seeds, plant fiber, 6 1/4 × 3/4 × 8 1/4 in. (15.9 × 1.9 × 21 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of E.R. Squibb and Sons, 61.89. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 61.89_acetate_bw.jpg)

Gallery

Not on view

Culture

Tukano

Title

Charm Necklace

Date

mid–20th century

Geography

Place made: Amazon, Brazil

Medium

Palm nut, seeds, plant fiber

Classification

Ornament

Dimensions

6 1/4 × 3/4 × 8 1/4 in. (15.9 × 1.9 × 21 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of E.R. Squibb and Sons

Accession Number

61.89

Rights

Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

Frequent Art Questions

  • Why are three pieces of Alaskan art paired with a piece from Brazil?

    Great question! The installation is by theme and use rather than country of origin.
    What is the theme for this case?
    The theme is talismans and charms. The necklaces may have been worn by a shaman or medicine man. Images of animals on the Tukano necklace from Brazil acknowledges the important relationship between humans and animals. All three pieces are made from natural materials found within these specific regions.
    There is a case of musical instruments from different countries nearby that keeps with the concept of themes within the exhibition.
    Okay, I'll check that out, thank you!
    You're welcome!

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