Tasmaniana Musing

Monday, May 17, 2010

Tasmaniana Shell Necklaces – Dyed Hobart Necklaces with maireener shells

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It is now becoming clear that within the USA & UK at least there relatively large numbers of maireener shell necklaces coming up for sale on eBAY. Many of these necklaces appear to have been dyed and with colours not too dissimilar to the colours contemporary fresh water pears are dyed.

Whatever these necklaces qualify for quintessential Tasmaniana status given the various layers of histories these necklace carry.

These necklaces also appear in Australia and reflect to some extent the nature of and the scale of the Tasmania Shell Necklace Industry – albeit an industry not well documented except by Earnest Mawle 1918 and quite briefly by him.

The image above is a sampling of maireener shell necklaces that have recently come up for sale on eBAY except the the white sample. It seems reasonable to assume that – but on necessarily safe to do so – given 'the industry' may have needed to dye the lighter coloured shells – possibly the lower priced shells – to win a market for them. The 'cream/yellow' shells may also have been dyed or they way be examples of shells that were sometimes dyed.

Often this industry's output has been mistaken for the Tasmanian Aboriginal people's necklaces and there is a strong case to be put that the commercially produced necklaces mimicked the Tasmanian Aboriginal people's necklaces. Recent research brings to light information that suggests this shell necklace 'industry' was a proportion previously not well know if at all ... to read more click here ... or here

Saturday, September 12, 2009

A Tasmaniana Wrong'ne

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This boomerang is so wrong it is wonderful. It IS Tasmaniana nonetheless. But can you spot what is wrong? There are at least three things! Can you see any of them or more still?

Monday, August 31, 2009

Tasmanian and Iconic

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It is rather ironic, even if it is timely, that Tasmania's Aboriginal shell necklaces, are now deemed to be 'iconic'! The only thing that has changed is that it is now official, or is that a maybe? Anyway, it has been a long time coming.

These necklaces have been 'Tasmanian identifiers' since forever. It is just the case that it has taken until now for Tasmanians and the National Trust to openly acknowledge that it is so. One could argue that it might be the people that should be acknowledged rather than the objects but let's not quibble about that right now.

A cynic could be excused of finding a lot of irony in this little story but let's just celebrate the accolade with the makers and let them savor the moment.

TTN has never been in any doubt at all that the Tasmanian Aboriginal shell necklaces are quintessential exemplars of Tasmaniana. Quite possibly the necklaces' iconic status began with Duterreau and his painting of The Conciliation.

Congratulations all round!

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Notes on Duterreau – Click Here

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Tasmaniana: What is it?

The first thing that needs to be said is that Tasmania is an island and its Aboriginal inhabitants represent at least a 35,000 year cultural continuum that was rudely interrupted by European colonial endeavour – and colonialism ultimately enveloped 'the place’ in its global dimension. Before November 24 1642 the island was the whole world – today it sits at its edge and in its own idiosyncratic way, it mirrors it.

“Tasmaniana” is to do with 'placedness' – the celebration of place, placemaking and placemarking. The idea defies clean definitions but when you encounter it you somehow know that you have. Rather than being a ‘concrete’ idea Tasmaniana is ‘liquid’ – it seems to seep everywhere and wet everything. Quite apart from all this, Tasmaniana is a layered and loaded idea full of cultural and social tensions.

Indeed, the so called 'Culture Wars' and 'Black Armband Politics' recently alluded to in the Australian political arena are not so far away from much of what is implied by 'Tasmaniana'.

Yes there is a Tasmaniana Library at the State Library in Hobart but that’s not the end of it and nor could it be any kind of 'Tasmaniana prescriptor'.

Tasmaniana is a somewhat elastic concept; an attitude; a sensibility. It is hardly a concrete yardstick against which to measure things. For those attuned, on the island and elsewhere Tasmaniana is somewhat ubiquitous – it’s in imagery; it can be found in a vista; it’s evident in objects; it’s in sounds and fragrances; it’s experienced; it’s to do with memory and sometimes forgetting; histories reek of it; stories reflect it; it is the kind of idea that is sometimes spiked with shame and guilt.

Tasmaniana is an idea with nuances. Some who embrace the idea do the nuanceing, most know what it is about and all are a part of it.

Tasmania proudly wears the “clean, green and clever” badge. Yet some of Tasmania’s waterways are the dirtiest in the world and many of its landscapes are being devastated while others are becoming deserts – none of which exhibits much cleverness but nonetheless it is a part of the Tasmaniana discourse.

In a kind of a way “wilderness" has come to be a characteristic ‘Tasmaniana Idea’ yet it is an enanthema to many of Tasmania’s Aboriginal people. Tasman’s telescope would be the ‘Holy Grail’ of Tasmaniana yet Tasman himself never set foot on the island and nor was it ‘made in Tasmania' – Tasman has however lent his name to the place albeit that he didn't "discover Tasmania". Tasmaniana is a complex idea – nonetheless it is one where local understandings subsume global visions.