Abstract
This cultural history of paua shell jewellery redresses the lack of visibility of such objects as a significant part of 20th century New Zealand material culture and provides a basis for a more balanced interpretation beyond its stereotyping as tourist kitsch. It questions why quality paua shell jewellery made before the late 1960s failed to gain recognition with most New Zealanders until fairly recently as anything other than tourist souvenirs.
Over 1,500 items of paua shell jewellery, mainly in private collections, formed the basis for this multidisciplinary research project that incorporates historical, anthropological and material culture studies approaches to write a cultural history of such jewellery. The objects were photographed and where available, their provenance recorded. A visual analysis of the items - paying attention to details of design and construction - established various, often overlapping categories that facilitated the dating and identification process. Gradually, a picture of the production of paua shell jewellery over the decades emerged. The wider socio-cultural context was then built using archival sources, various publications, conversations with one-time industry representatives, and discussions with original owners of paua shell jewellery. Interpretation of the material established multiple roles for paua shell jewellery over the decades for various groups of people.
Changes over time provided insights into aspects of identity creation by New Zealanders. Until the 1920s, the shell's main role had been as a European applied arts material and as inlay for Maori woodcarvings. Paua shell as a commercial souvenir material developed during the Depression and was shaped by the interaction between an emerging nationalism and a democratising of travel in New Zealand. Paua shell native bird brooches functioned as affordable alternatives to greenstone souvenirs for the working-class tourists that began exploring their own country.
In addition to its role as emblems of nationhood in the interwar years, paua shell jewellery had meaning as souvenirs for American servicemen stationed in New Zealand during the War, and as patriotic tokens for its own population due to its association with disabled servicemen. Paua shell jewellery functioned as acknowledgement of settlement for European immigrants in the post war era, and as travel memento for trans-Tasman tourists from the mid 1950s. New Zealand girls received paua shell items as first jewellery, and women wore it as dress or costume jewellery.
Until the increase of tourism in the 1960s, paua shell jewellery had existed on a number of planes. The exploitation of paua shell by the tourist industry, however, upset the balance and its dominance as souvenir forced a retreat of alternative uses. Other than as tourist souvenir, paua shell jewellery became invisible to the local population. Their withdrawal from an association with paua shell as a cultural marker of national identity explains why so many New Zealanders were uncertain about liking or disliking paua shell jewellery until recently.